Keeping Pace

 

 

 

In the 1950s agriculture was the prevailing expression of landscape in Southern

California. My boyhood memories of the San Fernando Valley recall the Los Angeles

River as a wonderful source of life, and as the years went by I continued to be fascinated

by that riparian environment. Although I was aware that development was bringing

environmental changes, at the time I lacked the perspective to foresee the consequences.

Upon my return from college, I found the landscape had been replaced with a desolate

and sprawling suburb. The river had been paved over: ostensibly as a new flood channel

…a de facto dumping ground for bottles and abandoned shopping carts. A paradox

crystallized in me at that point, one with which I have struggled ever since: the desire to

build and the need to work with nature rather than against it.

Thirty years ago I was working for Burke, Kober, Nicolais, and Archuleta in Los

Angeles designing regional shopping centers. Jon Jerde was the director of design and

had been a great influence on me since our student days at USC. But my efforts to

develop professionally were thwarted because there was constant pressure to bring the

design to completion, and never enough time to think things through. As soon as one

project was finished another began, and it was always the same: 60 to 80 acres open land

were flattened and paved – and then graced with a centrally placed shopping mall.

The themes and mannerisms of the architecture were rapidly changing. With my

conviction in one stylistic ideal hastily changing to belief in another, the architects I had

once admired seemed to lose their heroic stature. This disillusionment, combined with the

frustrations of spending too much time in traffic – shopping center after shopping center

– led me to the decision to strike out on my own. Feeling too removed from the natural

order of things, my wife and I headed north. We sought a slower pace, a place where the

destruction of the landscape in the cause of architecture could be measured in square feet

rather than in acres.

I'm striving for balance. We live on 50 acres in Sonoma County and find toads,

turtles, and giant salamanders on our entry porch. My practice, consisting mostly of residential

work, is busy. One house follows another, much the way the shopping centers did

30 years ago, and the energy and creative demands are exhausting. I've discovered that

the slower pace of building has not slowed me down personally, to which I attribute a

combination of expectations, circumstance and personality. The work still consumes me.

The difference is that the sites are not paved, and the construction (and destruction) timetable

is more to my liking.

Communication

 

 "Good communication begins with good listening" OGB

 

 

                             (1)

Our most successful projects usually result from a team effort amongst the major players involved – typically the client, the architect, and the contractor.  When everyone has the skill and desire to achieve excellence then the only other necessary ingredient is clear and timely communication.

 

 



(2)

It is important that all parties understand the spirit and qualitative intent as well as the quantitative requirements.  We do not have any one or two ways of achieving good communication, but rather prefer to evaluate each situation and then respond in an appropriate and efficient manner. Everyday, simple communications are often best handled via email, fax, U.S. Mail, or telephone calls, but complex communications are preferably accomplished face to face, ideally at our office (1).

 

 

 

 

(3)

Most projects begin with meetings, an agreement, a written program and a site analysis (2).  Many of our conceptual ideas are formulated during visits to the site and these are typically communicated through a combination of notes and freehand sketches.  Sketches may be in color or black and white and are refined as required to assure client understanding   (3).  Sometimes even more refined imagery is desired such as watercolor renderings or the like (4).

 

(4)

The preliminary design phase typically employs computer generated drawings for plans and elevations which are often supplemented with study models to better communicate the essential formal and spatial relationships.  We prefer to keep models (5) relatively  abstract so  as   to keep the focus on the big ideas. Secondary considerations like material, texture, color, etc. can be better communicated in other ways.

 



                            (5)

Contract and construction administration documents are virtually all computer generated, although regular meetings, review of samples, and full size mock-ups by the contractor are important aspects of the total communication process.

Green Design

We are a recognized leader in environmental awareness and climate responsive design.  We see our exploding population as the primary threat to our planet's resources and the "green washing" of every new building as too often little more than a marketing ploy.  "Sustainable development" is blatantly false and an obvious oxymoron. Elevating each new project to the highest and most thoughtful level which we are capable of is our ever present goal.

      

            "Responding (adapting) to the site and taking maximum advantage of environmental

            conditions, making efficient and elegant use of form and material, and preserving as

            much landscape as feasible have always been at the heart of my thinking.  Our planet's

            most precious resource is life itself - deep ecology - and my thinking instinctively

            includes continuity of the ecosystem."  OGB       

Our work utilizes many of the features now found in "green design, sustainable design, and LEED approved" buildings – not to accumulate points or credits, but rather because it's the right thing to do.  These features are not an afterthought and are both seamlessly integrated and a purposeful part of the project's composition.  This kind of efficiency results in the kind of harmony and grace that has characterized our buildings starting with our first project.

WALK-IN CABINS:  This initial project is a housing cluster with parking located remotely to minimize impact on the forest. The economical cabin form is a truncated cube to reduce surface area relative to the volume enclosed, and clear skylights provide natural lighting while providing views up into the boughs overhead (1).

BRUNSELL HOUSE: A classic passive solar project, this house is not only a part of the meadow, but the meadow is also a part of the house. This project effectively uses solar space and water heating, passive ventilation, natural lighting, and radiant floor heat as a backup system.  Excess water from the earth covered roofs and gravel driveway percolates back into the ground (2).

(1) and (2)

 

SPRING LAKE PARK VISITORS CENTER:  Appearing as though Mother Nature herself has sown a building seed, the center harmonizes with its setting by placing solid walls into the  grade and using  glazed "roof walls" to  retain  the  translucency of  the forest, allowing  interior views up into the surrounding boughs.    Exterior redwood shading fins screen the sun and sky glare, becoming smaller and less translucent with height  - similar to the scale change of the surrounding trees (3).

OREGON COAST HOUSE and GARDEN HOUSE: Flying log buttresses allow expanses of glass and solar gain collection systems are used for space and water heating as well as generation of electricity. Rain water is also collected, passive ventilation utilized, recycled materials incorporated, and more (4).



(3) and (4)

ARTrails Open Studio

 

 

 

 

 

Our studio will be participating in the 2012 ARTrails Open Studios event with our studio open for touring on two consecutive weekends, October 13-14 and 20-21.  Nearly all Obie's original drawings from the last two years will be on display.  All drawings will be available for sale as well as limited edition prints of some of his earlier work.  The work can be grouped into seven general categories as described by Obie:

 

Flower Sketches

 

 

 

Graphite with felt marker sketches of some of my favorite flowers.

 

Ten Architects of Consequence

 

Some of the architects who have made an impression on me.

 

Biomorphic Images

 

 

Searches into our connectedness with organic life while allowing the drawing itself to evolve in the process.

 

Architecture Related

 

Old pieces of construction and related objects that have caught my eye.

 

Pairs of Figures

 

 

Male and female couples in compositional relation to one another.

 

With or Without Memory

 

 

 Compositions related to the Biomorphic Images series, but incorporating familiar imagery including figures, architecture, text, biomorphic forms, and color.

Ten Artists of Consequence

 

 

 

     

I've just begun this series of some of the artists who have made an impression on me.

 

 

 

 

Historic Petersen Ranch

 

Last week Bob Pennypacker and  I toured the 216 acres comprising the Petersen Ranch on the north edge of Dry Creek Valley. The ranch has recently come up for sale and includes a number of very special home sites (http://bobpennypacker.com/9255DryCreek/). In many ways it is very similar to my own acreage in that it is a combination of oak and Douglas fir forested ridges, deep canyons, vineyards, and a common border with the lands surrounding Lake Sonoma.

 

The variety of conifer and deciduous trees, high and low elevations, and steep and gradual slopes epitomizes much of what I love about the California landscape.  I have always had deeply ingrained feelings for the land and it is natural for me to be respectful of it with every architectural decision our studio makes.  It is a shame that so many of us  see the landscape as little more than a large placemat upon which to set their building – this kind of thinking falls short of the ultimate opportunity – to form an adaptive partnership with the landscape and almost certainly increase the potential for a memorable accomplishment.

The key here is the ability to read the landscape – as far as the eye can see – and to have both the insight and skill to respond accordingly.  Perhaps the worst approach is to compromise the quality of the setting by placing the building directly on the sweet spot.  Often, a better approach is to set the building to the side or only partially on the sweet spot and thereby achieve a cohesive of partnership.  This approach usually opens many opportunities for developing unique, site specific responses, and when one succeeds at this high level the resulting resonance is truly artful.  

Design With Restrictive Budgets

            "Because  we  had  an  ordinary  piece  of property and  a  restricted

            budget we knew we needed to have a good architect."  An OGB Client

We do not think of ourselves as needing to have any particular budget amount – whether high or low – it's just another element of the total design equation.  Low budget projects can be a joy to work with if the client is realistic and open-minded, but can be very challenging if the client is hoping for a bargain using medium budget forms and materials. 

Our initial strategies for restrictive budget projects include 1) keep it simple, 2) keep it small, and 3) team up with a sympathetic builder ASAP. One essentially gets about what one pays for and it is important that reduction in quality of materials and installation not reduce longevity and/or increase the long-term maintenance.

            "While   it  is  certainly  a  plus  to  have   enough   finances  to  allow

             flexibility in  solving  problems, tight budgets  can lead to some very

             interesting and refreshing solutions." OGB

WALK-IN CABINS:  A truncated cube was employed in order to minimize surface area relative to the volume enclosed. Remote parking and an H-shaped foundation further responded to this project's Spartan budget (1).

ZACHARY HOUSE: This addition to, and make-over of, an existing hippie house was treated as a contrasting pair with reduced work on the existing portion in order to increase work on the addition- although even the addition used a square plan to minimize wall area and standard sliding glass doors to achieve large, yet affordable, windows (2).

1     2

HUBBARD HOUSE: This long low form preserved the ocean view for the adjacent uphill lot (which our clients also owned) assuring its sale and resulting income to pay for the construction loan on the house.  Inexpensive materials and close association with the builder were keys to meeting the restrictive budget while achieving a high level of design (3).

3

WINDHOVER: This vacation house was designed on a rectangular plywood module and is quite modest on the entry end, allowing a celebration of features on the (opposite) view end including a high ceiling, generous glazing, and driftwood tree trunk columns that visually connect the house to an adjacent Monterey Cypress hedgerow (4).

IRBY HOUSE: This retirement house used a strategy of  overall modesty (in just about every way one can think of) to achieve an economical yet delightful farmhouse-like project.  We were able to include a spa, all wood interior, and even some custom fabricated hardware items (5). 

4     5

Complexity Without Contradiction

In the under-appreciated, time squeezed, and chaotic situation most architects work in it is a welcome blessing to have sets of rules to help guide and lead oneself through the design process. Architects align themselves with particular rule sets which become like camps with names like Brutalism, Deconstructionism, Post Modernism, Mediterranean, Green Architecture, etcetera.  Rote following of the "isms" can lead to boredom and minor modifications. When handled skillfully, they are often viewed as welcome and refreshing relief, although they seldom stray too far from camp.

When architects vehemently adhere to a specific style, movement, look, or trend it can be a bit like using a kind of cheat sheet – allowing focus on just one set of rules or viewpoint.  The good news is that over time this can refine both one's thinking and work product – the bad news is that this pretty much shuts out all the rest of reality.  Consistency is gained by working with a diminished pallet but the results all too often fall short of its potential. The successful mixing of different styles, ideas, eras, and technologies is more challenging and requires a greater skill level than working with a predetermined set of rules, but the resulting experience can possess a depth of richness unachievable with simpler approaches.  Is this modernism working outside the box?   Traditionalism embracing contemporary technology?  Might it be easier to get the Donkeys and Elephants to agree? Is it anything more than eclecticism?  It's obviously post-modern (but then what isn't?).  I applaud being inclusive, encompassing, embracing, and responsive to the given circumstances.  Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture comes to mind – although not the vapid, mundane work that later claimed homage to it.

This kind of thinking requires the willingness to orchestrate disparate elements, each with integrity and grace, into a composition with a unique life of its own.  Perhaps it is a matter of making the best choices available – beyond the constraints of this and that "ism."  This would support inclusive rather than exclusive decision making: perhaps the technical efficiency of a contemporary construction system, the richness of a site crafted element, the historical connectedness of a family heirloom, and more. 

(1)       (2)

Quality work comes from quality architects and is not related to which camp they align with or historians place them in.   I respond to work which incorporates as much as possible in a manner that resonates with both the setting and the knowledgeable observer.  I am humbled by such multivalent compositions – often creating an overall sense of order just short of chaos. Examples include some architect's own houses: Frank Gehry's in Santa Monica (1) and Charles Moore's in Orinda, New Haven, and Austin (2).  Tom Kundig approaches multi-valence with his gizmos (3) and Bill Turnbull did it by incorporating the landscape into the very soul of his work (4).  These are wonderful works of quality architecture and celebrate complexity without contradiction.



(3)     (4)