Good Residential Design Draws on Principles of Balance

Last month, I outlined the key technical components of a modern green home. Though important, it was a nuts and bolts kind of discussion—about components such as energy-efficient appliances, a high-performance shell, and sustainable materials. Today, we get to the more inspiring stuff: I’ll explore how good design, in concert with those technical components, can elevate a home to a work of art or, say, “work of architecture.”

For you, the prospective new homeowner, the design phase is the time you’d typically work with your architect to figure out, for example, can you have that view of the pond from the living room without sacrificing maximum daylight? Can you get the room you need for your family of five through more efficient use of space and less square footage? What if you like aspects of the “Vermont vernacular” but want, overall, a contemporary home—can the two be forged?

What is “Good Residential Design?”

The answers to these kinds of questions lead to a consideration of what “Good Design” is and how it’s achieved. Architects and designers have debated this for millennia. As early as the 1st century B.C. the Roman architect Vitruvius authored his work, De architecture, where he espoused that architecture must offer durability, convenience, and beauty. During the 19th and 20th centuries, designers from John Ruskin to Robert Venturi (and even entertainer Barbara Streisand!) have weighed in on the topic.

My preferred explanation of good design was put forth in the 1950s by Dieter Rams, a renowned industrial designer; his 10 principles stated that good design must be: innovative, useful, aesthetic, understandable, unobtrusive, honest, durable, thorough in every detail, environmentally friendly, and as simple as possible.

Ram’s principles underscore an essential aspect of good design that holds true today. Good design merges multiple benefits into a single solution. The most tasteful home designs achieve a delicate balance between many and often competing considerations. Many people think good design is all about what a house is going to look like, but a design solution based purely on aesthetics won’t be a good one. Similarly, a design based purely on usefulness won’t either.

In sustainable design thinking, this goal of balance comes from a holistic approach often referred to as “integrated design.” The aspect that may be intangible—yet imbues stand-out architecture with a quality of timelessness—is integrated design. In a home, this kind of design translates into a residence that not only provides shelter, but enhances the lives of, and resonates with, the values of its users.

Good design in sustainable residential architecture is now more essential than ever because the number of complex considerations to balance has increased. In addition to the technical elements described in my last blog, in working with you an experienced green home architect must integrate:

Your Program

Every homeowner has different spatial needs—in terms of amount, type, and character. The list of rooms or areas that will satisfy these needs is referred to as your home’s “architectural program.” Will your needs dictate that the master bedroom be on the ground level? Do you have children and, if so, how many? Would you like a designated guest suite? How about a den? Do you entertain often? Do you work from home? The answers to these questions form the basis for your home’s unique architectural program.

Your Site

Is your proposed home site urban or rural? If rural, your site might include a pond, wetlands, a slope and some majestic -year-old oaks you’d like to preserve. How will your home’s architectural program be arranged to best take advantage of your site’s positive qualities? Will you want your bedroom to have lots of natural light in the morning or will that room be designed to better allow you to sleep late? Is the living room well positioned to take advantage of that spectacular view? Is there noise from a busy road nearby and how will it be mitigated? A good architect is innovative in allowing site considerations to play a prominent role in shaping the outcome for a green home.

Right-Sizing

Have you ever lived in a house that seemed to have lots of under-utilized space? A living room that wasn’t quite cozy enough for guests to want to migrate? A formal dining room that rarely got used? What about extra space below a stairwell, serving no purpose but to collect dust? These are symptoms of a house that’s not right-sized or properly configured. Every space in your home should have an optimal shape and proportion as well as a use that suits how you live. Getting all those shapes and proportions right and fitting them together in the best possible way is what right-sizing is all about. A house that’s right-sized is more sustainable because it’s space-efficient without being too small.

Outdoor Spaces

There’s nothing more satisfying than enjoying a fresh cup of java while basking in the warm morning sunshine. Or perhaps a meal with close family and friends gathered around an outdoor dining table on a cool summer’s evening. Well-designed outdoor spaces allow for this kind of rich connection with the natural world.

Procession

What will it be like to approach and then circulate through your home? Will guests easily identify the front entry? What feelings will the aesthetics of your home convey? Once inside, will visitors instinctively find a place to hang their coat? What beautiful piece in your artwork collection might your architect work to showcase—to draw guests deeper into your home? These procession aspects are often referred to as “flow” and flow doesn’t just happen; it’s the result of careful consideration and good design.

Social Gathering

How and where will you, your family, and guests congregate? How will they interact? Will they gather in small or large groups? Will the warmth of a hearth be what draws them together? Will meal preparation be a central focus or will that happen behind closed doors? These are lifestyle questions. Every family has unique preferences. The best designers ask lots of questions and propose solutions in keeping with the answers.

Prospect & Refuge

All human beings benefit from vistas and spaces that inspire them. There’s nothing like a view into the wonders of nature—mountains, ponds, forest, birds or the ocean—to invigorate our creativity. This is the concept of “prospect.” But sometimes we seek the opposite—privacy, safety, security, and refuge within the home. This is the nook with the cozy armchair by the woodstove, the dimly lit library filled with books, or the den where we’re surrounded by photos of family and friends. The best modern green home designs provide their owners with opportunities for both prospect and refuge.

To sum up, residential architecture is capable of doing much more than simply providing shelter. When it comes to the design stage, all modern green homes have many competing considerations: melding these into an appealing holistic solution requires experience and creativity. If you’re thinking about having a sustainable home built, work with an architect who specializes in such homes. He/she will achieve the critical balancing act that makes the difference between owning an average house versus a work of architecture to be cherished for generations to come.

posted by Carol Miklos on 21.06.20

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