Embedded Files
An architecture style is the product of architecture rules. Most styles have similar spatial and programmatic rules; they differ on climate rules. Climate is a high-priority consideration, which is why a region tends to have the same style, regardless of other inputs.
Temperate Style
Architectural Considerations:
Medium-pitch roof for snow and rain
30% window coverage
compact footprint to maintain heat
basements in northern states due to frost (deep foundations avoid freezing/thawing issues)
Urban Considerations:
Loosely-spaced buildings for sunlight
Examples: Shingle-style, Tudor, Georgian, Federal, Cape-Cod, Southern Colonial
Mediterranean Style
Architectural Considerations:
Low-pitch roof
30-50% window coverage
narrow footprint for breezes and outdoor living
courtyards, atriums, gardens
Urban Considerations:
medium-spaced buildings for shade and light
Examples: Mission-style, Ranch, Mid-century Modern
Mountain Style
Architectural Considerations:
Roof not as steep as temperate style because the snow stays on the roof as insulation, use wide eaves with brackets
50% window coverage
compact floor plan, minimizes excavation work on steep terrains
recessed stone ground floor for wind protection and temperature buffering, and to raise the timber above the snow
Examples: Swiss Chalet, American Bungalow, Shirakawa-Go (Japan), Adirondack Great Camps, Pacific Northwest
Tropical Style
Architectural Considerations:
steep pitch, pointed roofs for heat to escape and to shed rain, wide eaves, open ends or vents so heat can escape
50-100% window coverage, open walls for ventilation, deep verandas to block the sun and protect from rain, screened in for bugs
open floor plan for cross-breezes
raised off the ground with stilts or a stone foundation for breezes and natural light, and to avoid flooding
Urban Considerations:
loosely-spaced buildings or connected buildings like a longhouse
shaded walkways, greenery
Examples: Resort-style, Caribbean, Rainforest, Philippines
Arid Style
Architectural Considerations:
Flat roofs for low precipitation
Thick walls reduce heat loss and act as a thermal mass during the night, high ceilings for hot air to rise
10% window coverage to keep out hot air and direct sunlight, shade all openings, allow sunlight during the cool months
compact design reduces surface heat gain
courtyards allow for shade and breezes
Urban Considerations:
tightly-spaced buildings for shade, loggias, balconies, covered streets
different-sized squares to create drafts between them
Examples: Pueblo-style, Nubian, Persian, Modernist
Styles for Upstate NY
Within each climate, there is a set of more detailed styles, which are based on additional considerations. They share the same climate considerations, but they vary slightly (different materials, architectural elements, proportions, etc.) because each place is different (the people, the landscape, the history, etc.). The following styles were proposed for towns in Upstate NY.
Hoosick Falls
- medium roof pitch
- various-sized gables and dormers
- porches and bay windows
Herkimer
- steeper roof pitch
- Few gables / dormers
- some porches and additions
Raquette Lake
- large, saltbox roof
- no extra gables / dormers
- few bump-out porches or additions
Hudson
- medium roof pitch
- some gables / dormers
- two-story porch facing street
Schroon Lake
- cascading roofs
- shed dormers
- wrap around porches for lake views
- main living on second floor
Ballston Spa
- medium roof pitch
- various gables / dormers
- brick first story
- second floor living overlooks the street
Prevailing Style
The previous designs are based on each place's Prevailing Style. The Prevailing Style is what we think of when we hear the name of the town or city.
The Prevailing Style is based on which styles are most Prevalent, and Impactful. Raquette Lake might not have that many Great Camps, but that is what we think of when we hear the name of the town.
Matching the Prevailing Style
The Victorian house is an Appropriate Style, but it doesn’t match the Prevailing Style
The Prevailing Style is not always appropriate for the place.
It’s better to match the Prevailing Style than it is to introduce an appropriate style that stands out.
An Appropriate Style follows basic architecture and urbanism rules, and it fits with the area’s climate, materials, and customs.
Nudging the Prevailing Style
Nudging a Prevailing Style to become more appropriate
It's possible to nudge a Prevailing Style to become more appropriate, one building at a time.
As the Prevailing Style shifts, it becomes the new baseline, which can again be nudged.
Style Diversity
Region
Town
Neighborhood
Style Diversity decreases as scale decreases. Buildings that are right next to each other have the same conditions, so they should have the same style.
A Style's Variation
High-Variation
Low-Variation
A neighborhood can have variation within the style as long as it's coherent.
Style Compatibility
Raquette Lake has two styles that are compatible because they share at least half of their characteristics (highlighted).
Styles are a configured set of characteristics, or "phenotypes":
roof type, pitch, overhang, fascia size
materials, paint colors, trim detail
massing and proportions (tall, squat, wide), unit size
window coverage, window size and shape
dormers, porches, and bay windows
chimney size and shape
For styles to be compatible, they must match several characteristics. At the town level, at least half of the characteristics should match. It can be fewer at the regional level.
A Characteristic's Variability
A style's roof type can have low, medium, or high variability.
Each characteristic has a certain amount of variability. For example, a roof configuration that allows for a flat, shed, hipped, or gable roof, is high-variability.
If the style's other characteristics are also high-variability, then the style is high-variation. If a style is too high-variation, it cannot be defined because it would be random.
High-variation styles require that more characteristics match for compatibility. A low-variation style might only require that a couple of characteristics match.
When characteristics match, it means that the characteristic's configuration (including its variability) is the same or almost the same as the other style's, or they differ, but they're complementary.
How to Determine Styles
If we don't know the reasons behind a style’s appearance, we won't know how to adapt that style to fit our unique circumstances. Knowing styles, such as the Adirondack Style, allows us to discover relationships. For example, since we know that wide eaves are due to heavy snowfall in the mountains, and rustic detailing is early Arts & Crafts, we can use that information to discover design principles. We won't copy the eaves unless we have heavy snowfall.
Place-Based Factors
In addition to climate, there are additional place-based factors that depend on the local geography and micro-climate. For example:
Buildings on a hill might have walk-out basements.
Buildings facing a lake might have balconies to take advantage of the view.
Buildings in a swampy area might use stilts.
Time-Based Factors
In addition to place-based factors, there are time-based factors, which characterize different periods. They show up across cultures, regardless of climate and geography. For example:
Federal (1800 - 1850)
Victorian (1850 - 1910)
Craftsman (1900 - 1930)
Early Modern (1920 - 1950)
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (1932) by Paul Philippe Cret. The Stripped Classical style gets associated with fascist Italy, so it appears out of place.
Style Associations
Styles have certain associations projected onto them. Architects should be aware of what the current trends are, and how styles are perceived. Style associations exist in physical reality (not only in people’s minds), because we act out our beliefs. Certain things symbolize other things. Steeples symbolize churches, porticos symbolize banks, and clock towers symbolize learning.
Sleek, Modernist architecture is associated with glamour and wealth from magazines and movies.
In some developing countries, concrete is seen as high-status, so it is preferred over more sustainable materials.
Brutalism gets associated with harsh concrete Soviet apartments, but there are pleasant examples also, including in the US and Britain.
Stripped Classicism is an early modern style that exists all over the world, including in Germany, Italy, and Russia (called post-constructivism). It existed under democracy (US), fascism (Italy and Germany), and communism (USSR), but the association is mostly with Italian fascism, so it should err on the side of Art Deco.
Google Sites
Report abuse