Spanish Home (in progress). Advice needed.

[theberto]

As many of you may have already seen; I am one of the students who have received the high school Revit project. Our class was given the first floor to study and then expand upon in correspondence to a particular style of architecture (Spanish, Tuscan, Craftsman etc...). I choose to design a Spanish Home out of what was given, and now having worked on it, have a few questions. Besides wondering how my overall house looks, I would like to ask some questions particularly pertaining to the design.

Just above the front entrance, there are 3 small cut outs seem to worry me. In more detail, the inside of the protruding entrance is hollow and the 3 small cut outs lead to the inside hollow area (not to the inside of the living area). But do they seem to be too small or too large, maybe they don't even complement the house and the design. I have researched and found this "type" of cut out common, but again, maybe I am wrong.

My second question is pertaining to the windows located on the lower level in the front. They are plain and reflect no Spanish style. What could I do to give them more purpose in showing off the characteristics of the house?

Thank you for your time. Your advice is appreciated.

[kpaxton]

...Besides wondering how my overall house looks, I would like to ask some questions particularly pertaining to the design... Thank you for your time. Your advice is appreciated.Theberto,

Thank you for posting your design for review - Hopefully I'll be able to assist you and your fellow students in your endeavor to learn the Revit program and what good design means. As some other posters mentioned - remember that this is constructive criticism and is not meant to say you or other student's work is 'not good'. Design in and of itself is a highly subjective subject and so my best advice is: Do your research well and do what makes you feel good.

With that said, I'd like to say that I'm kind of notorious here and have this lovely thing called a Wacom Tablet that I like to use to 'redline' other's work. :D (Yes, I use it on my own work too!!) I've included a marked up file for your review, which goes hand in hand with what I've written here - so please print out a copy for reference, if you can. There are numbers that correspond to the picture (as there wasn't alot of space on the picture file).

As you've asked for a Design critique, and not a Revit critique, I'll try and keep my thoughts to that realm, unless there are some obvious construction techniques that need to be brought to your attention. I'd like to say that all-in-all, what you've come up for your work on your sample project is very nice. My comments will be along the lines of what I consider minor tweaking.

I would also like to say that this is a bit difficult NOT having a floor plan(s) to go along with these elevations. Could I ask that you and others please post a screenshot of your plans too? This is important as we need to know what kind of space is behind this wall/window, etc. I don't want to make a suggestion if it doesn't make sense because it can't be done. (Thanks!)

And now... on with the Show!

(see next post)

[kpaxton]

Spanish or Spanish Eclectic - There are as many variations on this style as there are fingers on your hand. However, there are a few main branches such as Monterey, Mission, Santa Fe, Hacienda a few others. Two major factors that I like to guide my designs with and are used in this style is Proportion and Scale.

A) One thing I do notice in your design (and others) is the use of a lot of different items, such as window styles, accent pieces, etc. in your design. It is tempting to use these because - hey, they're included in the box, right? As a designer, I highly recommend that you avoid this temptation. As you look at examples of 'good' architecture, the more you'll notice restraint and control in this realm. Use of one type of window, one style of door, etc. can convey a sense of balance, control and proportion in a design. In Spanish and Mediterranean Architecture, you’ll find a predominance of vertically proportioned windows as opposed to squat or square ones. I would suggest using Casement style windows as opposed to Single-hung types. Square ones do exist, only not in predominance.



Your main question was regarding the 3 openings above the entry. Without knowing the rest of the plan, I’ll go on a limb here on this one. Obviously the Entry feature is very important as it makes a statement about the home and to those visiting. I want to suggest that this area is not ‘wasted’ space, but useable on the second floor. It’s a room; therefore, place a set of casement windows at this location. Place the Spanish three accent tiles above this for ornament. As an alternative, you could put a set of inswing French doors here with a faux balcony and railing.
Without knowing the rooms behind these square windows, it’s difficult to comment on these. However, the crossbars over them are typically used on accent indent areas and not over windows (unless it’s in a high crime area!) I would suggest a pair of casements centered over the window below.
It wasn’t clear what these were, but I’m assuming these were meant to be the beam outlookers. Here’s my comment on this style of ornamentation: if you’re going to use them – USE them! Be consistent all around the house and not just in one area. This is a bit of a pet peeve with me, because I just abhor builders who will put ornament on the front side of a house – and not on the rear – just to save money.
Create a wing wall at the entry, mimicking the other side. This brings symmetry to the elevation and also can help in creating an intimate area or courtyard by the entry door or dining area.
Make the Entry more robust. Create a larger & higher arched entry with simple columns on each side. Place trim above the arch to make it richer looking.
Keep the light fixtures adjacent to the arch – don’t forget a ‘chandelier’ fixture inside the entry to provide light for your guests. However, get rid of the side cage accent features. These are not needed and make the area too busy. This would typically be found at a smaller scale in the end gable anyway.
Although the wing wall does add character, I would suggest taking the form all the way back to the back wall. This gives more substance and credence to its existence. Add some trim at the top that wraps around the center structure.
Your second question – the archtop windows. Although these were used in this style, it was used sparingly. A variant was to use the gothic arch windows (pointy arch). I would tend to shy away from these as their use was limited and are an expensive window to produce. My suggestion is to use a pair of French doors, with a header above. I would also place one on the other side of the entry (I’m assuming the Dining room there) for symmetry.
This window and cage confused me. It was competing too much for attention with everything else going on in the elevation and didn’t seem to fit in. My suggestion is to replace this with a pair of French doors, centered over the ones below, and provide a faux balcony with beam supports and a railing.
Revit fix – use Join Geometry to join these walls together so you get a joint line.
Provide a bit of trim under the chimney cap to ‘end’ the vertical shaft of the chimney.
Place a raised sill under the grouping of windows to unify them. Also add either lights or the indented square with railing detail here and in the gable. You’ll probably have a walk from the driveway area to the front door.
Applause! Applause! For getting the garage door OFF of facing the street side. The only comment I would make is that in lieu of two large doors, place three individual 9’-0” wide doors with lights in between them. This will increase the ‘quaintness’ factor dramatically.
The window and the accent piece are competing for attention. Again, not knowing what is ‘behind’ this wall, my suggestion is to use two smaller sets of casements on either side, with headers.
An accent piece in the gable area would do nicely.
I am ‘assuming’ that there would be bedrooms behind these windows. Be careful with sizing as you’ll need to meet egress requirements with the codes – and the windows would need to be a certain minimum size. Again, I’d use casements with headers here for consistency. Be careful also with the amount of room between the sill of the window and the top of the roof. I like to provide 6-8 inches minimum between for proper flashing, etc., especially if you’re using tile.
Not quite sure what that is.
At the rear corner, I might have a tendency to ‘notch’ the corner, by starting the covered rear portico back further. This provides a separation and hierarchy to the massing.
I like the arched Portico along the rear of the home. My only comment is that there is too much space between the arches. Place more arches closer together.
I would also say the Portico might be too long. I would suggest pulling the portico back from the corner a bit and make a wood trellis area. Although people want to be covered in inclement weather, they also want to experience the outdoors – and a semi-covered space is great. (especially if there is bougainvillea growing overhead!)
Place another set of French doors allowing access from the interior spaces under the trellis. Try to align these in plan with the ones in the front.
When you have windows like these in end walls, or even on top of one another in side walls, try to align them with one another. Align the largest in the ‘space’ first, and then align the smaller window with it. This will bring a sense of harmony to the elevation.
I hope that this critique helps you. Feel free to try some of these suggestions, or none of them – that’s up to you. Enjoy!

Kyle

[rjcrowther]

Perhaps in addition to Kyle and not contained to specifics; I don't know how far you have taken design but you find pretty much everything Kyle has mentioned falls in line with established design principles which are:


Unity - a sense of wholeness
Repetition and Rhythm- repeating details and elements
Balance - evenness of visual 'weight'
Variety - enough to break the boredom
Emphasis - provides a focal point. One focal point and only one for each view. So from the front it is the entry and all else should be complementary and not competing for your attention.
Proportion - sizing of elements to fit with each other
When using these principles, give consideration to the use of:

Form
Space
Light and Shade
Texture
Material
Colour
If you consider these points then you may see some of the reasoning behind Kyle's comments.

Finally, these design rules are like most rules - they are there to be challenged, improved upon, and occasionally broken (but only after you have learnt how to use them).

Rob