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TOO BIG, BORING, OR UGLY
Lane KendigLane 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:
– 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
– 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
Blank WallPunch Out Windows
Lack of DetailNo Eaves
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
House #1 Front
Window Trim
Roof Orientation
Trim
Change in Plane
House #1 Rear
Lack of Window Trim
Horizontal Siding
Blank wall
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• 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
Partial Eaves
Eaves tacked on Front Elevation
No Eaves on Side
DETAILING
• Window Trim• Door Trim• Architectural Details or Features
– Entryway– Patterns with Materials or Trim– Bay Windows– Dormers
Punched Out Windows Windows Trimmed
Simplest of New England Box had Trim
Rich Detailing
Roof is Trim
Roof Articulates Facade
Detailing
Lack of Detail
Rich Details on Little Boxes
Blank Walls
Stupid Windows
Large Blank Wall Expanse
Utilities
Windows Aligned
Garage Door Siding
Large Eaves
Articulated Walls
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
One Brick Deep Masonry
Window Alignment
TrimNo Trim
360 Degree Detailing
Simple Painted Trim
360° Materials and Trim
Blank Wall
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 and 40% House Width
Excessive Garages
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
Side Load Garage – 85 ft. Lot Width
Detailing on Garage
Side Load Orientation
Three Side Loads Facing Same Direction
Alley Access 40 foot lot
Front Access 40 foot lot
Mews
Alley
Public Street
Mews Alley Access
Mews
Mews
Garages to Rear on Alley
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
The Blank Wall
Useless Window Award
False Front
Blank Walls
Stupid Windows
Large Blank Wall Expanse
Utilities
$800,000 Blank Wall
Blank Wall and Garage
Blank Wall Treatment
Dummy Windows
Blank Wall Treatment
Dummy Windows
Poor Windows Alignment
MONOTONY CODE
• Limit Repetition of a Model Type• Criteria for Certifying Model Elevations
as Different– Roofs, Height, Pitch, Orientation– Porches– Architectural Features– Windows
Identical Floor Plans
Additions Over Time
Luxury Boxes From Road
Near Identical Masses
Similar Roof Lines
No Details on Rear Windows2nd Level Decks
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
Garage Types – Front or Side LoadSide Load Garage Front Load Garage
Architectural Feature
Roof Orientation
Roof Heights and Pitches
Porch Styles
Façade Areas and Roof Areas
Monotony Code Result
Roof Shape
Roof Orientation
Overhangs
360 Masonry
Garage Types
Masonry
Detailing
Narrow Lot
Variable Lot Width
Wide Lot Wide Lot
Vary Height
One Story
Two Story
Different Floor Plans and Garage Placement
Porches, Roofs, 360° Details
Porches or Not
Dormers
Roof Lines
Failed Attempt
Materials Divide
Neo Nothingness –Too Busy
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
Foundation Planting
Foundation Planting
One Small Screening Tree
Wooded Front Yard
Screens and Dominates House in Scale
Foundation Planting
Foundation Planting
Displays Full Mass
New Street Planting
Tree Preservation
Winter Tree Cover Effective Screen
Road Layout Focuses View
Lot Edge Landscaping
Screens and Reduces Apparent Scale
Allows Views and Screens
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
Deep SetbackShallow Setback
Building Pads Define Setback
Grade Change Alters Relationship
Foundation
Roof Peak
Grade Change
2.5 feet
Grade Change
3.5 feet
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 3 StoryModerate Building Volume Large Building VolumeSmall Porch 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.
LVRBVR
LVR SVR
BVR
Site Volume Ratio(SVR)
LVR-BVR = SVR
The Not So Big House
• Design and livability over size.• Display good design.• High quality materials rather than bulk.• Materials selected to blend.
Materials that Blendwith 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
Questions
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