CASE STUDY HOUSE 8 - THE EAMES HOUSE - a visit

While in Los Angeles recently, we visited the Eames House in Pacific Palisades. Talented, prolific, Charles and Ray Eames, are among the most important American designers of the 20th. Century. Their home, overlooking Santa Monica Bay across a meadow,  designed with Eero Saarinen, used pre-fabricated parts, minimal materials, maximizing volume, integrating with nature, and setting the stage for 'life in work'.  What stood out?  In essence, the house and its adjacent studio are 'working' boxes: simple, direct, both inside and out, a flourish or two but no pretense, connects one in to out to in, open and comfortable. Certainly cutting edge for its era. Not reproducible directly as it is. Very reproducible amended for modern codes and energy efficiency.   The house is owned and maintained by the Eames Foundation with the family involved. During our visit a grand daughter was changing the flowers, colors chosen as her grand mother preferred.

http://www.eamesfoundation.org/how-to-visit/

There is much media available about them. This book is nice:
The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: a Legacy of Invention,
Abrams/ Library of Congress/ Vitra Design Museum.

                                Their studio at 901 Abbot Kinney in Venice, CA.

To Define A Wonderful Work of Architecture

"... a pleasing overall form; consistency in use of materials; care in details; sensible scale and proportions; an overall coherence; and, above all, habitability."

From the essay "Origins, Evolutions, and Ironies" by Donald Canty
to be found in the book "The Sea Ranch" by Donlyn Lyndon and Jim Alinder.

So nicely put.  I might only add a spark of artistry, humor,  and a subtle yet palpable sense of craft.

Buildings I Like - Barns!

We recently volunteered to help fabricate and assemble a beautiful timberframe barn at UC Santa Cruz, recreating the Cowell Ranch hay barn. Slated to become a center for sustainability programs, properly maintained this 'new' barn should last hundreds of years - effectively the life cycle of the trees from which the timbers were milled. Congratulations are in order to Karl and Ginger Bareis of Santa Cruz Timberframes,  http://www.santacruztimberframes.com/, for their splendid work; proving some of the old ways are not a 'lost' art.

For the news release: http://news.ucsc.edu/2015/03/hay-barn-raising.html

A short video: https://vimeo.com/124112071

And photos:

First and third photo credit: Guy Lasnier






Finally, timberframes are a core strength of Kumaran Design. Would you like one?

SOUL

I recently read two books I can recommend:  The Soul of a Tree by George Nakashima and its companion Nature Form & Spirit by his daughter Mira Nakashima. They chronicle his compelling life and work exploring the nexus between craft, design and finding the essence within.

I find lot's of similarities between his approach, outlook and understanding with my own. There is a kinship there.