Stretch and Flex

One of the biggest problems I faced as a designer has been trying to fit stock plans onto existing lots. I'm usually trying to help people building their dream home shoehorn a plan they purchased from another designer onto their parcel. Sometimes the plan type and layout is not appropriate for the plot, that's another issue that merits its own post. 

Like the game of football placing a plan on a lot is a game of inches. By squeezing just six inches out of a room you might ruin the space. This is more of an issue with medium and small homes, obviously. This squeezing of the plan would lead to frustration for the owners. They often wonder why the plan was designed without any flexibility. They would wonder why the lot sizes where they purchased were too narrow by just one or two feet for no apparent reason. These were good plans done by respected designers, mind you.

These home owners didn't want a custom plan but simply wanted a good plan to start from that they could customize. Expanding the home can ruin the proportions and shrinking the home can ruin the plan. A different approach is to start off with a smaller plan that has been designed to stretch. That's how the KHASA plans were conceived. If larger bedrooms are desired, for instance, it's easy to make the plan longer or wider without requiring a complete redesign. 

By designing a house to certain minimums but in a way that can stretch in each direction it is possible to find the plan type that you like best and then adapt it to best suit the size and unique features of your lot. It is far easier to expand a home plan designed in this manner than to shrink a home plan.

This might sound like an extremely simple concept. Indeed it is. It's just exceptionally difficult to execute. Once you apply this philosophy, however, it's amazing how it clarifies and resolves the plan.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

Millionaires and Tax Free Bonds

Everybody shops for a good deal. This is true of investments as it is for stereos and groceries. When interest rates are low and risk abounds in the stock market (Facebook IPO falls flat, without Apple the S&P 500 is flat) those looking for a cautious investment strategy wisely look to tax free municipal bonds. Investors are happy and the issuing municipalities are happy. Yet a problem arises. It's mostly institutional investors and the wealthy (i.e. millionaires) that invest in these tax free municipal bonds. Yet there is a cry for millionaires to pay more in tax. The only way to achieve that is to close loopholes such as allowing muni bonds to be tax free. This would undermine the municipalities at a time when many of them are teetering on the brink of insolvency. 

What makes matters worse is that when used for political purposes few make the distinction between people with a net worth exceeding one million dollars and those who are earning an annual income in excess of that amount. Those are two very different things. In either case it's entirely possible for those people to invest in instruments that are deemed tax free, tax exempt, or tax deferred. These instruments allow the government to more easily attract investment capital without having to pay a higher rate. It's an unfair advantage in that regard, but one we shouldn't begrudge them, in my opinion.

So we have yet again an instance of planners undermining their own efforts. Those who seek reinvestment in urban areas are decrying, although most likely unbeknownst to them, the very vehicle used to raise the capital required to do so. They seek to close the loopholes that allow millionaires to avoid paying tax. Yet these very loopholes were designed to attract capital for infrastructure investment from the evil millionaires who, by investing in these bonds, are seeking returns that will simply keep pace with inflation which is typically part of a larger capital preservation strategy.

The US has suffered under a capital strike before. It would be worthwhile for those interested in learning how this happens -- and what to expect in the not too distant future -- to find out when that was, who was president, and how we got out of the situation.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

Subsidizing Sprawl or Owing Your Soul to the Government Store

What is accepted as gospel by the majority of urban planners is that Walmart is bad. The planners will tell you that Walmart's retail practices kill off main street businesses, they do so knowingly and gleefully, and the video and audio evidence has been distributed widely. I'll leave the curious reader to search for those videos themselves and allow them to form their own opinion. What I'm more interested in is the how those that hold that view are undermining their efforts by supporting policies that reinforce Walmart's position in the market.

A report from Tulsa World discusses how food stamps equals big money for Walmart.

...much of the nearly $1.2 billion in food stamp expenditures went to Walmart stores, which brought in about $506 million between July 2009 and March 2011...

This creates an interesting chain whereby the increase of food stamp usage will likely lead towards increased patronage of Walmart. Therefore a large percentage of the farm subsidy bill will in effect be transferred to Walmart. The retailer will then be able to increase its efforts, if the planners are to be believed, of eradicating the US of small towns. It will ostensibly hasten the vision depicted in Disney's Wall•e where there is but one store which is either run by the government or vice versa.

The paradox, even the irony, is that those on the political left believe in the system of support which enables the growth of the retailer which has bedeviled their planning efforts. Those on the political right advocate for planning methods that lead to the growth of the percentage of the populace that, in their own words, is unlikely to vote for them. They are at cross purposes and cannot seem to reconcile their respective world views with reality.

Lost in all of this is the fact that Walmart operates on notoriously thin profit margins and are highly susceptible to price fluctuations. Walmart is now too big to fail for in it's role as the government store the millions they serve would be in a desperate situation should they go under.

Agrarian Urbanism won't solve the country's political quagmire, but it goes a long way towards protecting the individual and the community against potential food shortages and price spikes. This, as predicted by famed investor Jim Rogers, will be most important concern of this generation.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

Adamesque Simple Stick

A brief follow up on my post about the simple stick. I find the work being done by Ben Pentreath in the UK to be an excellent example of the simple stick being applied. His project in Chichester is simple, elegant, and refined. Yet, at the end of the day it's legible. There is no confusion as to whether or not this is residential.

But is it Classical? I think it meets the ideal splendidly.

While I'm at it the urban planner in me requires I call out the quality of the street design. Notice that there is a change of material and texture on the street differentiating the footpath from the parallel parking and the parking from the road. None of the swirly nonsense that dazzles the dim when viewed from a blimp, but is absolutely dreadful when seen at ground level. Excellent!

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

The Simple Stick

Ken Segall has an excellent book detailing the time he spent working as an advertising executive. As the title of the book implies he has done extensive work with Apple Computer including lots of interaction with Steve Jobs. Actually Ken worked with Steve at Apple and NeXT while at different ad agencies, so he has insider knowledge on how the obsession that drove Steve Jobs wound up driving NeXT, PIXAR, and Apple. His experience with other companies during that same time period -- such as Intel, Microsoft, and Dell -- allow him to draw some comparisons between the approaches of these very talented organizations.

As far as design and brand loyalty are concerned Apple has clearly won. Many try to emulate that success yet they don't understand what it was that led to their success. It wasn't just clever marketing. Even though the other companies hired the exact same ad agencies as Apple they couldn't mimic their success. This is also why the iPhone 5 is selling out even though it has been panned by the tech press.

What is so hard for other companies to emulate, or for them to even understand if I'm being frank, is the importance of the complete package. Everything is derived from the desire to simplify. Many people can intuitively use an iPad. This is not easy to accomplish because every detail is important. This desire for simplicity impacts every aspect of design including the unboxing and the marketing. Apple has done such a good job of this that it's almost impossible to improve upon what they've achieved. Almost.

The success of this design philosophy is of vital importance to the fields of Architecture and Urban Design. What Apple has proven is that people are willing to pay more for quality design. However this isn't news. BMW has proven that, Dyson has proven that, and Braun has proven that time and time again. What has been problematic for architects is understanding how this applies to the built environment. This is where the simple stick comes into play. 

Steve Jobs would always hit everything with the simple stick. It's well worth reading the book to fully understand how the simple stick was used. What I've noticed is that there is a certain zen to the application of the simple stick which can be seen across industries. For BMW a car is a car. For Braun a shaver is a shaver. For Apple a computer is a computer. For Dyson a vacuum is a vacuum. There is a quintessential quality they are aiming for that guides the design. This is the simple stick in action.

Imagine what this simple stick method would mean for architects. A house is a house. It's not a warehouse. It's not an office building. It's not a container. Yet most of the houses that have been built in recent times look like anything but a house. This is the classic mistake. They've missed the forest for the trees.

Instead they should have started with a house. Found out what makes a house a house. Then improve the design. Make it user friendly. Trim the fat. Make it simple and elegant. Detail can always be added. This is where I see the simple stick of Steve Jobs' minimalism meeting the Classical Ideal. Robert Adam's book on Classical Architecture has a great chapter on the layering of detail. This is not too unlike the modernist use of collage, but Adam's approach has already been hit with the simple stick. The notion of collage needs a good bit of stick to be on par.

With this in mind, take your favorite house plans and spend the next couple weeks hitting them with the simple stick. That's what I've been doing with my KHASA series of plans. All the designs are from my previous catalog of homes. I've been hitting them with the simple stick. It's been an interesting design challenge, to say the least. In following this approach, however, I've found tremendous clarity.

Try it. It will change your life.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

Sidewinder Ranch

There have been several problems I have been wrestling with as a designer. One has been contending with the sliding glass door which, if you're interested in attainable housing, is something you simply cannot ignore or wish away. Another is contending with infill lots which pose unique challenges because of the desire to enhance the existing neighborhood and provide a compelling plan with all the modern conveniences. The third issue is relating all the various design criteria to the urban condition of the neighborhood. I loved living in a townhouse but missed not having a porch. I wanted to find a way to meet all those challenges while affording maximum flexibility to the homeowners so they can customize the interior and exterior appearance to their liking.

It's been a lot of fun, I must admit. The end result might look quite simple but, as is always the case, it's so much harder to simplify.

The KHASA F was developed for a client in Texas. They needed a two bedroom, two bathroom home around 1,200 s.f. on a zero lot line plot. I wanted all the living spaces to engage the street, a nice patio near the sidewalk, and some private outdoor space. There will be a garage or carport out back. Because of the proximity to the sidewalk I think there needs to be a garden wall to mediate the connection to the street. This creates a defined separation between public and private space without adding the expense of a porch.

The dining room and master bedroom open up onto a private courtyard. I'm showing a hot tub in this location since that's what I'd want. You don't have to put a hot tub there if you don't want. If you are so inclined, however, you'll notice the wall which is perfectly placed to hold the TV and tiki bar*. 

As with all KHASA plans, the KHASA F is designed for steps or ramps. It can also stretch in different directions to better take advantage of larger plots, if desired.

*Tiki bar plans not included.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens

Solar Sailors for Sale

When most people in the North America mention cruisers they think of Carnival Cruise line and huge ships going to the Bahamas or Mexico. I want to introduce you to another kind of cruiser. The couple, family, or solo sailor who live aboard a boat and cruise to exotic ports of call the world over. You need to meet these people because they've solved the issues of renewable energy ages ago. That's the good news. The bad news is some of the solutions are illegal according to US building codes and architectural review boards so even today's smartest smart house isn't as efficient as a thirty year old sailboat.

When you look at a cruiser's vessel you'll notice they have solar panels, wind generators, rainwater collectors, solar ovens, and even fuel powered generators. There is no silver bullet solution. The answer isn't wind, it isn't solar, and it isn't fuel. It's a combination of all of the above. When the seasons change you need to change with them. When your location changes you need to adapt. When you have limited resources you need to use them wisely.

Wise cruisers schedule their power usage to minimize consumption. If they need to run the generator to charge up the batteries they'll make sure any power hungry activity is accomplished during this time. Then the generator will be cut and the batteries will take over. This also ensures proper loading of the generator. Too low of a load is not only inefficient it can harm the generator's engine over time.

After doing the laundry, running the water maker, or running the air conditioning to cool off the interior the rest of the day's power consumption is relatively minimal. It's primarily refrigeration and lighting. With the advent of Kindles and iPads even running electronics doesn't consume too much energy. The cruisers eke out even more efficiency, though, since their boats have lighting on a separate low voltage circuit that consumes significantly less power.

This efficient use of energy and smart scheduling mean they can actually get most of the power they need from their solar cells or wind generators. So the concept they are using is to decrease demand as much as possible and then meet that demand with renewable energy. Some cruisers only run their generators for a couple hours every month. They aren't living like hermits, either. If anything with all the radios, satellite communications, RADAR, and other goodies they have more tech on board than you'll ever see in a house. 

What they do enjoy, however, is the ability to nullify the largest contributor to energy consumption. If the weather is too hot or too cold they simply raise the anchor, hoist the sails, and find better weather. Sure, this has its own costs, but you get the point. The real culprit gobbling up energy is is the heating and cooling of our homes. Better windows, insulation, and design that takes into consideration solar orientation and prevailing winds (not just the views) will do more to save you money on your power bills than anything else. Once you've done that you can take your game to the next level by introducing task lighting, energy star appliances, and scheduling of major power usage during off-peak times. This will allow you to get the most out of solar panels and wind generators.

If we wanted to be smarter in our homes we could start lobbying for lighting only low voltage circuitry like they have in boats and RVs, allowing solar and wind generators (many places have restrictions), and start a conversation with the utilities about how we're charged for power. Championing a silver bullet solution, however, will only prevent us from being as efficient as that crusty old sailor.

Posted via email from Kenneth Hitchens