Architectural Principles In House Design

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30210, 15 August 1963, Page 9

Architectural Principles In House Design

Commodity, firmness, and delight, formed the essence of successful architecture, as distinct from mere building, Mr T. Martin, an architect, told more than 100 persons in the first of a series of lectures on “Design for Living” at the Dulux Colour Centre. These essential properties were to be found in the best examples of all arts, he said. In architecture these conditions implied that the structure must do the job it was built to do, it must make sympathetic and appropriate use of the materials incorporated, and it must be beautiful. The first two conditions contributed to the third, said Mr Martin.

A house should give delight. It should be a space in which it was a continuous joy to live, that did not cramp activities, that allowed one to live with nature or not, as one pleased, that was flexible enough to serve the needs of a growing family, and whose design, based on established principles, never became unfashionable, he said. Use of Materials Building materials formed the, palette of the architect. The raw, inert materials should be combined .economically and beautifully. Materials had independent characteristics, and these should be preserved in building. If a house was to be built of brick, it did not have to be built entirely of brick —other materials provided stimulating contrast—but brick should be dominant. The art of architecture lay in deciding the relative amounts of materials to provide contrast without destroying unity, said Mr Martin. Many materials, such as concrete block, retained their character if painted. If the block were plastered, however. their interesting natural texture was destroyed. The treatment of blocks in different colours, and pointing in different colours, dated a house immediately, and its popularity would soon fade, he said. The blocks were not naturally coloured blue, green or yellow, and as they all did the same job there was no logical reason for emphasising some at the expense of others. The visual charm of the old English cottage, with its stone walls and thatched roof, was a direct result of the use of a material simply and naturally. “There is no striving for effect, and the houses, although obviously old, still have a thoroughbred quality,” said Mr Martin. Choice of Site In selecting a site for a house, it was a good idea to keep in mind an opinion of the famous American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. That was. to choose a site that nobody else would dream of building on, said Mr Martin. A house properly designed for an interesting site would have a character of its own.

The sun, view, proximity of houses, prevailing winds, extensions, required clearance from boundaries, and'

relationship between garage and road were among aspects to be considered in determining a plan. For the smaller houses, the oblong or square were the most visually satisfactory shapes. Variety and individuality could be provided by the manipulation of solid wall, glass, and texture and colour of material

With houses larger it was logical to divide into wings or blocks. “A sensible division would be to separate the house into day and night areas—or noisy and quiet areas,” Mr Martin said.

The “Design for Living” course, organised by Miss P. Rothenberg, colour consultant for the centre, consists of 10 weekly lectures, the last on October 15.'

In this age of highlystressed living the home was becoming increasingly important, said Miss Rothenberg, and the lectures were designed to give those attending an insight into the principles of good design and decoration. Aspects of maintenance would also be covered.