Tag: charlottesville architects

13
Oct
2016

In pursuit of happiness – the question of size and architecture

In November of 2014 I wrote about the Not so Big Apartment and of Gary Chang’s clever Swiss army knife style apartment that transforms into 24 different spaces.   I admired the inventiveness of Cheng’s project and the notion of living well in a small setting.

The topic of size comes up a lot at architectural conferences. The issue is an important one for obvious reasons – bigger homes require more energy to heat and cool and more energy goes into the construction materials. Clients however aren’t always so interested in the notion of doing with less. That’s not surprising in the US, home to the super-sized Big Mac and it’s cousin the McMansion.

At HEDS we think big, from the perspective of living well, is beside the point –size has very little to do with the qualities that foster a sense of well-being and happiness. Size is what builders promote in the absence of good design. This is size over substance thinking – size is a false prize.

We share our clients’ goal that our designs should contribute to their happiness and well-being. In pursuit of their happiness, we promote more substantive qualities such as homes that bring richness through CLEVER ideas. Other qualities we pursue in our designs: FUN, COMMUNITY at all levels (between siblings, within the family, with neighbors and the larger community), a connection with NATURE, and last but not least, COOL.

In pursuit of COOL: The Exbury Egg by Pad Studio, Spud Group and Stephen Turner.

In pursuit of COOL: The Exbury Egg by Pad Studio, Spud Group and Stephen Turner.

Children's room

In pursuit of FUN and COMMUNITY. This kids room has a shared loft. An art wall exhibits the children’s masks. A window between the children’s rooms fosters community between siblings. When small these children held hands between the window and have grown up to be close friends. Woolen Mills House by HEDS.

Dogtrot House

In Pursuit of Nature: A captured outdoor space brings nature into the daily living for this home’s occupants. The space is used for sitting and dining during the spring, summer and fall. Dogtrot House by HEDS. Photo by Prakash Patel.

16
Sep
2015

Sustainable design requires creative solutions

A sustainable architect needs to solve for more than would the typical designer.  I liken our process to solving the Rubic’s cube – where all the goals, challenges and givens must be in alignment.  The typical architect might be solving for the nine squares/side cube, we are solving for the 16 square/side Rubic.  Take for instance HEDS-designed RiversEdge House: Good urban design suggested house be sited in alignment with street grid.  Classic #PassiveSolar approach would rotate the primary windows toward south and shade with deep overhangs.  But the street grid wasn’t on a north-south axis.  To solve for both passive solar and urban siting, we angled the front wall toward south while maintaining the overall orientation to that of the street.

This project was designed as part of the RiversEdge community and speculative – we were the developers.  We know first-hand that passive solar takes advantage of free energy from the sun at no additional cost to the builder – a win-win solution.  RiversEdge5-heds

28
Aug
2015

Charlottesville VA architect Chris Hays interview with Home Style Green

Charlottesville VA architect Chris Hays Interview with Home Style Green

Charlottesville VA architect Chris Hays talks with broadcaster Matthew Cutler-Welsh about how homes can improve your life.  The covered outdoor space of the Dogtrot House has transformed the lives of its inhabitants who spend their waking hours in the courtyard space during the summer and shoulder seasons.  It’s gratifying to see how a well-designed home can make life better.  Listen in ITunes

Green Style Home