Transcript TOO BIG, BORING, OR UGLY Lane Kendig Lane Kendig, inc. 1950s - Little Boxes.

TOO BIG, BORING, OR UGLY
Lane Kendig
Lane Kendig, inc.
1950s - Little Boxes
2003 - Big Boxes
MAJOR
PROBLEMS
• Monopoly Houses
• Monotony
• Too Big House
• Tear Downs
MONOTONY
• Lack of Interest and Deadening Sameness
Caused By:
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Identical to Similar Floor Plans on Adjoining Lots
Little to Distinguish Elevations
Repetitive Roofs
Common Building Heights
Building Masses or Volumes Similar
Monotony
Monotony
MONOPOLY LIKE HOUSES
• They Look Like the Houses in a Monopoly
Set…A Cheap Plastic Box
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No Detailing Particularly on Sides and Rear
Overhangs Absent - No Shadow Lines
Punch Out Windows
Blocky Building Masses
Similar Heights along Street Front
4 Monopoly Set Homes
No Eaves
Blank Wall
Lack of Detail
Punch
Out
Windows
Features of Monopoly Box House
FALSE FRONTS
• Architectural Details, Window and Door
Trim, Shutters, etc. on Front Only
• Varied Façade on Front Only
• Masonry – One Brick Deep on Front
Roof Orientation
Change in Plane
Window
Trim
Trim
House #1 Front
Lack of Window Trim
Horizontal Siding
Blank wall
House #1 Rear
THE PROBLEM’S CAUSE
• Production Builders
• Mass Production  Repetition
• Narrow Target Market  Similar Floor
Plans and Size
• Maximize Size and Cut Back on Detailing
MONOPOLY BOX
SOLUTIONS
• Enrich the Palette by Adding Details
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Eaves
360° Architecture
Windows and Doors
Blank walls
• Garages
• Landscaping
REQUIRE EAVES
• Eaves Provide a Shadow Line that
Articulates the House.
• Requirements
– Eaves on All Sides
– Minimum 12 Inches -- Encourage More
– Insure Eaves Relate to Historic Styles
Require Eaves
Inadequate Eaves – 4”
Bungalow – Eaves and 360° Details
Eaves tacked on Front Elevation
No Eaves on Side
Partial Eaves
DETAILING
• Window Trim
• Door Trim
• Architectural Details or Features
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Entryway
Patterns with Materials or Trim
Bay Windows
Dormers
Punched Out Windows
Windows Trimmed
Simplest of New England Box had Trim
Roof Articulates Facade
Roof is Trim
Detailing
Rich Detailing
Lack of Detail
Rich Details on Little Boxes
Stupid Windows
Large Blank Wall Expanse
Utilities
Blank Walls
Large Eaves
Articulated
Walls
Windows
Aligned
Garage Door Siding
Good No Trim Windows and Detailing
FALSE FRONTS
• The House Front is Dressed Up
• The Rear and Sides as Cheap as Possible
• Community Suffers
– Rear Views of Monopoly - Like Houses
– Looks Cheap
– Neighbors Get the Bad View
Front Elevation
Rear and Side Elevation
False Front – Rich Detail
Window Alignment
No Trim
Trim
One Brick Deep Masonry
Simple Painted Trim
360 Degree Detailing
Blank Wall
360° Materials and Trim
GARAGES
• Narrow Lots – Garage Takes Up Over 60%
of the House Frontage
– 3 & 4 Car Garages Impacting Wider Lots
• Complicates Architectural Solution to
Monotony
– Insignificant Portion of Façade to Work With
– Garages All Look About the Same
Garage taking 50% of House Width
Excessive Garages
and 40% House Width
GARAGE SOLUTIONS
• Limit portion of house occupied by
garage
• Garage Location
• Garage Type
• Alley
• Mews
Rear Garage Hidden
Side Load Front
Front Load
Garage Treatments
Detailing on Garage
Side Load Garage – 85 ft. Lot Width
Three Side Loads Facing Same Direction
Side Load Orientation
Alley Access 40 foot lot
Front Access 40 foot lot
Public Street
Mews
Alley
Mews Alley Access
Garages to Rear on Alley
Mews
Mews
Blank Walls
• A Recent Trend is Leaving One or More
Side Elevations Nearly Windowless
– Same Problem as Commercial Buildings –
Ugly
– Less Light in Interior of Unit
– Utilities
False Front
Useless
Window
Award
The Blank Wall
Stupid Windows
Large Blank Wall Expanse
Utilities
Blank Walls
$800,000 Blank Wall
Blank Wall and Garage
Dummy Windows
Blank Wall Treatment
Dummy Windows
Poor Windows Alignment
Blank Wall Treatment
MONOTONY CODE
• Limit Repetition of a Model Type
• Criteria for Certifying Model Elevations
as Different
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Roofs, Height, Pitch, Orientation
Porches
Architectural Features
Windows
Identical Floor Plans
Additions Over Time
Near Identical Masses
Luxury Boxes From Road
Similar Roof Lines
2nd Level Decks
No Details on Rear Windows
Approaching Units
Luxury Boxes Street Face
Monotony Code Control Area
Identical Floor Plans
TYPES OF MONOTONY
CONTROLS
• Mandatory Controls
– Eaves
– 360 Degree Trim and Materials
• Menu Approach
– Roof Pitch, Height, Orientation
– Porches
– Architectural Detail
Model Approval Sheet
Different Roof Heights and Pitches
Architectural Feature
Side Load Garage Front Load Garage
Garage Types – Front or Side Load
Façade Areas and Roof Areas
Roof Heights
and Pitches
Porch Styles
Roof Orientation
Roof Shape
Roof Orientation
Overhangs
360 Masonry
Monotony Code Result
Detailing
Masonry
Garage Types
Wide Lot
Wide Lot
Narrow Lot
Variable Lot Width
Two Story
One Story
Vary Height
Different Floor Plans
and Garage Placement
Dormers
Roof Lines
Porches or Not
Porches, Roofs, 360° Details
Neo Nothingness –
Too Busy
Materials Divide
Failed Attempt
Material Breaks at Building Wing
LANDSCAPING
• Greenery Hides a Multitude of Sins
• Green Volume Counters Building Volume
• Even in Winter, Bare Trees Have
Significant Impact – Altered Scale
Trees Shelter and Screen
Trees Arch Over Houses
and Reduce Apparent Scale
1920’s Landscaping
Modern Foundation Planting
Lot Landscaping Strategy
One Small Screening Tree
Foundation Planting
Foundation Planting
Screens and Dominates House in Scale
Wooded Front Yard
Displays Full Mass
Foundation Planting
New Street Planting
Foundation Planting
Winter Tree Cover Effective Screen
Road Layout Focuses View
Tree Preservation
Screens and Reduces Apparent Scale
Allows Views and Screens
Lot Edge Landscaping
BUILDING PLACEMENT
• Lining Buildings up on the Front Setback
Line
– Good for Urban Enclosure
– Bad for Monotony
• Mandate Staggered Building Pads
– Perspective Alters Building Scale
– More Difficult to See Similarity
– Landscaping More Effective
Variable Lot Setback
Shallow Setback
Deep Setback
Building Pads Define Setback
Roof Peak
Foundation
Grade Change Alters Relationship
2.5 feet
Grade Change
3.5 feet
Grade Change
Large Grade Change
TOO BIG HOUSE
• House is too big for lot.
• House is so big that it alters community
character.
• National trend to larger houses.
• Blatent display of how much one paid for
the house.
Too Big
Luxury Boxes
Relative Scale
2 Story
Moderate Building Volume
Small Porch
3 Story
Large Building Volume
Porch, Stairway, 3rd floor deck
Too High
Extravagant Bulky Details
Taste ? – Display Size and Bulk
Building Coverage (BC)
Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
Floor Area responds to multiple floors.
LVR
SVR
LVR
BVR
BVR
Site Volume Ratio
(SVR)
LVR-BVR = SVR
The Not So Big House
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Design and livability over size.
Display good design.
High quality materials rather than bulk.
Materials selected to blend.
Materials that Blend
with Environment
Quality architectural
Statement
Landscaping to
relate to site
TEAR DOWNS
• A too big house in an existing neighborhood
of smaller scale units.
• Destroys the character of the neighborhood.
• Creates a need for variances
• Gentrification
THE PROBLEM
• Neighborhood is very desirable.
• Homes are out of date and need upgrades.
• Economics is driving the problem.
– The land values support the cost of acquisition,
demolition, and new structure.
• Community is not unanimous in opposition.
– Some oppose on Character others support on
greed.
SOLUTIONS
• Same tools as the too big house.
• Early Identification
– Identify before economics has created teardown
conditions
– Allow for logical room additions while
maintaining character.
– Less controversy because problem has not yet
become an issue – can be done in normal
zoning review.
Standard Bungalow Appearance
Expanded to the Rear
PREPARE FOR TEARDOWNS
• Identify small house neighborhoods before
they have been discovered
• 1950s
• Bungalows
• Cape Cods
• Identify current zoning building volumes
• Develop expansion strategies
• Adopt new standards
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