mcmansion report : ticky tacky

mcmansion :

1.  large and pretentious house, typically of shoddy construction, typical of "upscale" suburban developments in the

late 20th and early 21st centuries. Such houses are characterized by steep roofs of complex design, theatrical entrances, lack of stylistic integrity and backsides which are notably less fussy than their fronts. They are often placed closely together to maximize the developer's profits and appeal to people who value perceived social status

over actual, physical, economic or historic value.  [urbandictionary.com]

                      also refer to ticky tacky

dialog between dining + design

[top to bottom: cecilia's bungalow, loewenstein ranch, centerpointe high-rise 3 bedroom unit and 2 bedroom unit]

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." 

-James Beard

"Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture." 

-Mark Kurlansky

If I ever did things in good timing I would have posted this on Thanksgiving BUT I'd just been thinking about the language of food + culture and how that relates to design, bringing people together.  So here is a little timeline of dining spaces from the residences we worked on this semester.

moments : of 301 studio work

Taking two minutes to reflect where we're at in the semester.  This being the first week back after Thanksgiving break (in which I'm so thankful  that Thanksgiving break was actually a break studio-wise) these next two weeks its crunch time.  Despite being in crunch-time mode most all the time this semester, its flown by.  I'm not sure if that's because its my last months here before I leave for Australia or that even though I'm dreading the workload for these last weeks I'm realizing that in only three semesters I will be dreading that same crunch-time, critique-week, heap of work for the last time as an iarc student. -and what I dread more than sleepless nights that blur into many days, raccoon eyes and no social life? : the end of my undergraduate years.

So I guess I'm kind of soaking up all we've gotten out of this semesters studio, what's ahead and what's behind me -

snippets of my work from studio : 301

click to enlarge!

301 : high-rise : three bedroom unit

Jon + Ed's condo : breaks in rhythm

master bedroom

dining room + kitchen

view from front door : living room feat. collection of antique cameras

office

 

top floor of fitness room : biking+running equipment + beginning of waterfall + foliage filled ceiling

[stairs in back right corner]

lower level of fitness room : endless pool + bottom of waterfall feature 

301 : high-rise : process

With this deadline quickly approaching we hung up some process on Wednesday showing one image and explaining our approach on material, light and color for our two units. -

Jon + Ed's three bedroom unit : fitness room

Anne's two bedroom unit : kitchen+dining

[click images to enlarge]

meet the clients : 2 bedroom

Anne is a 42 year old,divorced, mother of one living in the high-rises with her daughter and Siamese cat.  She is a city council member, Cone Hospital volunteer and practices the Quaker religion.  She chose to live at Centerpointe because she had and interest in downtown revitalization and she brings with her a collection of an hundred perfume bottles.

pastel glass+light interacting with materiality

feminine+whimsical+found objects

a whimsical way to play with lighting : like lots of little blossoms of light

these simple muted tones are feminine and earthy

emphasis on oversized, white, fanciful light 

emphasis on colorful simple art arrangement

When Rome became a rich and prosperous city, perfume became an exaggeration of luxury and social class.   :  a sign the city and economy had blossomed.

While sound was important in Jon + Ed's condo, Annes is more about scent.  The concept for this home is all about blossoming.  Blossoming does more than relate to the scent of her perfume collection but also from her interest in downtown revitalization and the city council in the flourishing of the downtown and city life.  It gives a sense of femininity

Material : tinted glass , dappled glass, and rustic woods and finishes, silks, velvets and antique finds,  transparent materials like that of the perfume bottles, antiqued silver mirrors and whimsical,ornate  and feminine in details.

Light :  whimsy and playfulness with natural light through materiality

Color : muted pastel like colors mixed with metal tones and patina finishes

photo credit 
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meet the clients : 3 bedroom

The clients for my three bedroom condo in the high-rise are Jon and Ed.  Both these partners are attorneys,  enjoy jazz and together they own a collection of 23 antique cameras that will be showcased in their condo.  Within the community they take interest in Guilford Green, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and the Triad Health Project.

Jon has a passion for modern art while Ed enjoys kayaking and is a triathlete.

They chose to live at Centerpointe because they can walk to work and the downtown vibe.

For me the concept for their condo was all about the sense of sound.

If you could put yourself in these pictures of the couples hobbies and imagine the sounds that go along with them -

the sounds of moving water beneath and around a kayak, a kayak paddle slicing into the water, the wind in the surrounding trees and the animals that live in them.  

...the beat of  triathlete's feet running on pavement, then a pause, then their arms and feet breaking into the water, then again the rhythm of their bikes peddling.

The high and lows of a jazz standard.

Their condo is about the breaks of rhythm within the sounds of constant movements.

photo credit : kayak

photo credit : waterfall

photo credit :swim

photo credit :bike

photo credit : run

photo credit : jazz

301 : high-rise : site pictures

These are pictures from the site of our high-rise project : the Centerpointe building in downtown greensboro.  It used to be the old Wachovia building before developer Roy Carroll and his team came along.  The building has a restaurant and fitness center on the first floor, some office spaces on the floors above that and condominiums (model shown in slideshow) going up until the 15th floor; which as you can see is now unfinished but will soon be custom condominiums. Roy is developing the 17th and 18th floor as his own penthouse.  Our studio is working on both the 16th and 15th floors to design two condos each that are custom to our theoretical-clients. (who I'll blog about soon)

mcmansion : ticky tacky

photo credit

Speaking of McMansions...take a look at this video of the old intro to the tv show Weeds featuring Little Boxes by Melvina Reynolds  ....remind you of anything?

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.

301 : ranch : final presentation