Architecture is made in which two things match. This is the case whether it’s where the interior meets the outside, the building meets the skies, the building meets the ground the wall meets the floor or diverse substances match. When we start to see architecture as what happens at these intersections we get a sense of and appreciation for how best to design the interface of different forces and substances.
In the roofs of modernism into the double-hung and paned windows of colonials, in several ways every architectural style is characterized by what happens at those intersections. This is true for both the interior layout and the outside. As an example, the crown molding of a conventional layout stands in stark contrast to the perpendicular wall and ceiling junction located in modernism.
So when you’re taking a look at a home of any style and kind, take a closer look at where things match. Doing so will give you a better knowledge of the design intent.
Wagner Hodgson
Modernist homes have that level roof so the rectangular or form is exactly what one reads when searching at the home. By employing a flat roof, the designer is making the statement that the construction is distinct and separate from nature. Clearly, the residence is an object made by people, displaying all of the rationality of the educated mind.
Peter Zimmerman Architects
Homes of a conventional design create less abrupt transitions between the home and the skies. The upward “V” form of this gable as well as the chimney pointing skyward all produce an intersection that is blended instead of severe. It speaks to accommodation instead of lifts and separation instead of reposes.
Susan Teare, Professional Photographer
Color is one of those elements that help define an intersection. When there are times throughout the year that this structure will blend with its own landscape, there are also many occasions, like if snow is on the ground or even the trees are all leafed out, when there will be a sharp distinction. How and if the architect needs this blending and separation to occur inform the colour palette.
AR Design Studio Ltd
How the home intersects with the ground is also one of those terrific opportunities to create architecture. Maybe the home sits on a stage that floats on the ground. It isn’t so much rooted in place as impermanently attached, ready to be pumped elsewhere.
Scott’s Creative Home
Or perhaps the home mixes together and is tied into the ground so the assembly of construction and property is eased. The residence is adjusted to its website, rooted in place for all time.
Whereas the modernist example speaks to transience, the more conventional layout speaks to lifetime.
Stone Interiors
A great opportunity to produce memorable architecture is the point where the interior and outside match — the outside walls of the home. The significance of these intersections isn’t missing on architects, who spend as much time designing these partitions as the floor programs. In fact, it’s the way the walls and programs meet and intersect that truly defines the home’s architecture.
In more modernist houses, these intersections are often more transparent and adapting. In reality, it’s among the fantastic features of modern architecture the interior and outside became one.
Peter Zimmerman Architects
But in a more conventional layout, we can attain a blending of inside and outside.
Again, places that meet and intersect are where we locate architecture. So in a conventional layout a crown molding eases the transition where wall meets ceiling. The space is no longer made up of a different planes, but instead is a wrapped envelope.
Heather Garrett Design
A modernist interior doesn’t include molding between ceilings and walls. Each airplane, ceiling and wall is treated as a thin display that appears to slide beyond rather than be connected to one another.
Doors and doors are also where things meet, and at their intersection architecture is made. Large, classically inspired trim can wrap and frame an opening, making an event that is more than just the wall and the door separately.
Now look about your home and find the places where objects and things meet. Explain what happens at those places.
For example, is an intersection in which a wall and a window match trimmed out exactly the way you’d enjoy? Otherwise, how would you change it to create an architectural moment that talks with you?
If you do this throughout your home, you’ll end up in a location you will enjoy more.