Outward and Inward.
From a recent article in Architectural Record: the British geographer Jay Appleton (in his 1975 book The Experience of Landscape) noted that “people have an inherent craving for an unimpeded prospect, coupled with a need to find refuge.” That’s a concise description of my own architectural values: that a house should be designed to let one experience (see, feel, hear) the outer world when needed, and provide physical and psychological shelter from it at the same time. I think that what makes a house fundamentally different from all other kinds of buildings is that it’s really an extension of your life and even of your body…a house takes on a similar role to your skin, as another sensory layer.Something similar is apparent to anyone while driving. The car is like a larger body around you; you can “feel” when you’re too close to a curb or a rear tire hits something. With that in mind, how significant it is to intentionally design the specific experience of the place where you live…
