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?