Joseph Sandy

Architect vs. The Market

Joseph — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:10:23 +0000

It has been an Interesting week for the Lofts @ Cherokee Studios. A Condo building in Los Angeles designed by Pugh + Scarpa and boasting a shiny Platinum LEED rating.

The Lofts received a design award from the LA Business Council. But buyers don’t agree and the price of the units has drooped $149,000 from their original asking price.

I like the idea of the building, movable screens that allow you to open or enclose your balcony, and I like the use of color. Unfortunately they used the wrong screening material, the perforated metal is very trendy and it helped that they were trying to play up the rock and roll aspect of the building(it was a famous recording studio) but no one really wants a metal cage as there outdoor space in Los Angles – or any where for that matter.

- la.curbed.com article on price chop

Design Inspiration – July

Joseph — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 19:43:07 +0000

Monthly Architecture Inspirations

T Bailey Offices by Olson Kundig Architects

- Archdialy article -

Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment by Revelations Architects

- Jetsongreen article -

(...) Read the rest of Design Inspiration – July

School Garden Design for LAUSD and GOOD

Joseph — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:41:56 +0000

A few weeks ago I entered a contest to design a small school garden for the Los Angeles Unified School District. I have been selected as one of the winners. For phase 2 of the project, we will work with Mud Baron, Green Policy Director for LAUSD, to select a Los Angeles school to work with. There will also be a workshop with Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer. Ultimately, at least one (but hopefully all) of the purposed gardens will be built and GOOD(website) will produce a downloadable guide for designing school gardens.

My garden was designed to teach and inspire. A circular path was designed so that every planter has wheelchair access, while maintaining as much planting space as possible. Planters are built of either 2 inch or 4 inch pieces of reclaimed redwood which interlock to create a continuous landscape around the garden. A shed takes a prominent position in this design to give the garden visual identity within the school grounds, but also to collect rainwater. A composting bin helps provide nutrient-rich soil and a section of native California plants teaches kids about their local climate and habitat.

Landscape Architect Mia Lehrer’s website

Contest website

Is This The Best Product Design Ever – Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair

Joseph — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:38:56 +0000

The Aluminum Management Office Chair design by Ray and Charles Eames.

Despite its popularity this chair doesn’t get enough credit. Built out of polished aluminum and leather, it is sleek and modern, while also comfortable and ergonomic. Another important factor is that it’s visually comfortable. Often, chairs look comfortable but are not good for actual use, or they look uncomfortable but are well ergonomically designed. This chair is ergonomic and visually comfortable. Designed 52 years ago, it still looks modern today, and I believe will look modern for another 52 years. Once you know it you will see it everywhere–executive board rooms, home offices, commercials, TV shows, movies. This is a design that will last.

(...) Read the rest of Is This The Best Product Design Ever – Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair

Design Inspiration – June

Joseph — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:43:41 +0000

Monthly Architecture Inspirations

Leti 360 resort by Studio Mumbai

-Archdaily article-

Green Woman’s Clinic by FAREstudio

-Inhabitat article-

La Campana House by Alejandro Dumay and Francisco Vergara

-Archdaily article-

(...) Read the rest of Design Inspiration – June

Sand Mandala and Design Methods

Joseph — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:06:15 +0000

I recently saw a video clip on the Buddhist sand paintings called Mandalas. Truly beautiful pieces of art that take six days to complete. Within an hour of completion, they ritualistically destroy the painting. This teaching of impermanence is a good lesson for architects, for very few buildings last a lifetime.

CNN story - link -

©Henryart

How can this idea relate to your design method?

I once had an art teacher who told us a story about one of her teachers. After everyone had completed their sculptures or paintings, the teacher would have them destroy their work. I don’t remember the moral to that story; it probably had something do to with impermanence, but it helped lead me to one of my favorite design methods.

Design Method – Destruction – Carry out your normal method for designing a building (or anything for that matter), work through all of the problems, and come up with a design solution you like. Then trash it and start over. Challenge yourself to create a totally different design. This sounds like you are losing a lot of work. In reality, by redesigning the project, you get to use all of the knowledge built up from your first design on your second. Why is this so effective? – In design you pretty much never get the same problem twice, there is no correct answer. So by starting a design over, you now have practiced for that specific problem. And, while practice might not make perfect, it certainly gives you a better chance at succeeding. Another similar strategy is to challenge your self to come up with several completely different solutions when starting a project. The destruction method is different in that you should completely finish a design before starting over.

350 sq. ft. House – Plan Set

Joseph — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:42:51 +0000

The Plan Set for the 350 sq. ft. Usonian inspired house is finished, and available for you to download. The project page is here. Included are elevations, roof plan, floor plan, and alternative floor plan.

The plan set is simple but should give you all of the information that you would need. It was produced using SketchUp. Next time I will move over to Revit as to produce a more complete plan set.

A small house inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian houses. The basic L shaped house makes the best of its small space. The layout is open while still providing plenty of space for the kitchen, full bathroom, closet, and desk.

(...) Read the rest of 350 sq. ft. House – Plan Set

350 sq. ft. House – Update

Joseph — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:52:04 +0000

I have finally had time to finish the 350 sq. ft. Usonian inspired house. I will be posting the plans later in the week. Here are a couple images of the finished design.

(...) Read the rest of 350 sq. ft. House – Update

Please Vote for my Shed!

Joseph — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:02:24 +0000

Please vote for my shed in the Shed of the year 2010 competition run by www.shedblog.co.uk. - Vote! -

- Vote! -

Design Inspiration – May

Joseph — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:06:27 +0000

Monthly Architecture Inspirations

Mapungubwe Interpretation Center by Peter Rich Architects

Wonderful modern building using traditional building methods.

-Archdaily article-

Bamboo Structure by Bamboo DNA

Display structure for the 12 finalists of trestles design contest. While the entries are good, what I really liked was this structure. The structure is honest and the red canopy complements the natural bamboo nicely.

-Archdaily article-

(...) Read the rest of Design Inspiration – May