"Nature Near"

I was lucky enough to be invited to contribute to the local Montessori Voices magazine, on the vital importance of bringing nature near. It's as important for little people as it for big ones ...

Five architectural "must-haves"

I have to confess that I get very little out of TV architecture programmes. The "Grand" of the design(s) too quickly becomes Grandomania.

But this snippet of five architectural "must-haves" that just popped up on Youtube has some very good points. Architect Steven 
Harris calls them his "non-negotiables," and he talks about them here in the context of his own house. It's not about their house's style—which you may or may not admire—it's about some simple principles on which it's based.

I've pasted the tips below, with my comments underneath each:

No. 1: Refine the entry experience: The first of architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home is determining the sense of approach. Rather than abrupt thresholds, the journey into the house is articulated as a gradual transition. From the initial glimpse across a golf course to the curved courtyard entry, each spatial reveal is calibrated. Inside, a stepped sitting room draws the eye to distant mountain views. This sequence generates anticipation, framing experience through a procession that’s both psychological and physical. 

It's a truism to say that first impressions count. Because they do. As marketers say, "There's no second chance to make that good first impression"—or to be introduced to the landscape a better way. 

So the way you (and your guests) are introduced to your home and the landscape beyond is critical, since it will leave a lingering impression. Most important here is to hold the important view until it achieves its maximum impact, so it will resonate deeply. To help this, use containment and release: masking the view until the right time, containing the space at the entrance, so that the view explodes once you're place into it.

No. 2: Create a strong link to nature: A seamless relationship between indoors and out is integral to the home, and the landscape design by David Kelly of RRP enables an easy flow between each domain. The architecture dissolves boundaries with landscaped berms and exterior gathering spaces that extend the footprint into the garden. At this site, the feeling is less like a house on a golf course and more like a pavilion in a park. By designing the contours of the land, the team create depth and intimacy, reinforcing a connection to the broader terrain while encouraging everyday interaction with nature. 

This is crucial. Human physiological needs are as important in a building as their structure. And as numerous researchers have confirmed, “The inherent human inclination to affiliate with nature, even in the modern world, continues to be critical to people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.”  This intense human need to have ‘nature near,’ as architect Richard Neutra explained — to interweave structure and terrain — is not just a frivolous extra in our buildings, but a vital need.

No. 3: Consider the flow of movement: Flow and circulation are the third non-negotiable. Architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home emphasise the importance of reducing unused space. Hallways are minimal or absent, with rooms leading into one another in a sequence that promotes daily engagement. The guestrooms are detached, accessed through the garden, allowing the house to function as a single-bedroom retreat when unoccupied by visitors. This planning prioritises experience over expedience, ensuring all areas of the home are lived in and appreciated. 

Space that flow make a more comfortable place. In the best houses, you don't spend wasted minutes crossing and re-crossing hallways—you find yourself in the best places as the day progresses. Spaces interlink and interlock, sharing space and making the most of it. Every square metre used in a hallway is a wasted square metre. So use them sparingly.

No. 4: Understand your clients’ lifestyle: Fourth is programmatic clarity. Spaces are designed to reflect actual living patterns rather than ideals. Rooms often serve dual functions, like dining areas that double as workspaces or libraries. Television is integrated into the living room to ensure its frequent use. This principle stems from understanding daily rituals and designing around them. Architect Steven Harris’ 5 non-negotiables when designing his own home place emphasis on functionality that doesn’t sacrifice sophistication. 

It's absolutely essential to know what spaces your clients use most often, and when. Which means you must know in detail how they actually live. So do ask them to list what they're doing the house each day, and what time of day, and for how long. "The best way for a client to really think about what they need for a house," they say, "is to think about the process of each day and how they live it." Very true.

Not in agreement there with the television however [2], since reducing its frequent use is more important (and smaller devices mean the "family television" now gets less use anyway). But the point is a good one: design for the way you live, not the way a magazine or TV show thinks that you should.  Build in the daily rituals that give your life meaning. (And do be open to lettin the architecture suggest better ways to live.)

The final principle centres on scale and proportion. Rather than equating size with importance, the design treats intimacy as a metric of success. Volumes are generous without being overwhelming, with seating arranged to foster ease of conversation. The dressing room and bathroom are given as much attention as the bedroom itself. 

This perhaps is most important. There's a luxury in good design in that you're not making spaces bigger: you're making them just the right size. There are important human dimensions that we must build in, and fail at our peril. A conversation space, for instance, calls for a 3m radius from eyeball to eyeball. Make it bigger or smaller, and we're making a wasted space. Build in these human dimensions, and we're making a home that just feels right.

* * * *

There are other "non-negotiables" we all might have, but these are a good start. 

PS: Looking at Harris's beautiful home, one commenter quipped that the sixth non-negotiable would be an unlimited budget. Which is funny to say, but not truly necessary to have: because none of these elements require an extensive budget; they simply require thought. As Steven Harris says, if you don't get these things right—most especially the human dimensions—then "all the fancy materials in the western world aren't going to help."

It really is all about thinking it through.

* * * * 

[1] Stephen Kellert & Elizabeth Calabrese, The Practice of Biophilic Design (2015): 3

[2] Of course, their point here is that so many homes now offer a "media room" that takes folk away from the main living space on which you've lavished so much care. Now, clearly Americans watch too much television anyway, but I do think there's a good argument for the media room.
    When you just want to watch "the news" or a TV series, then a smaller screen is fine, and can be in lounge or dining space or wherever. But when a film director relies on a big screen (as any director should) or a sports broadcast demands much bigger screen real estate, then it's good to repair to a place dedicated to that function of enjoying the film (or the sports broadcast) on a dedicated big screen.

ARCHITECTURE MINI-TUTORIALS: "But how much can you *do* with a 70 square-metre house?!"

 THIS IS ONE OF THOSE rare things, a government announcement I can get behind:

“Last year the Government consulted on allowing\granny flats of up to 60 square metres to be built without building or resource consents. The proposal received huge support, and as a result the Government has agreed to go even further by increasing the maximum size to 70 square metres.” 

This is great news!

And it does look like it may actually happen — with the announcement yesterday that " Granny flats of up to 70sqm, and papakāinga of up to 10 homes would be allowed without a consent on specific land zones."

Never mind the misnomer "granny flat," When/if this is introduced, any house with a decent sized-section will now give owners the opportunity to add one new minor dwelling. (Let's call it that, shall we, rather than the more popular but slightly derisive 'granny flat'.)  One minor dwelling in all the places that's possible can do amazing things for making dwellings more affordable — helping make up for three decades of cementing in the opposite trend.

"But," I hear you ask, "how much can you do with a 70 square-metre house?!" Answer: a lot. If you do it right, a minor dwelling might even become your major dwelling.

To give you some idea of that size, until recently, the average size of a New Zealand house was 200 square metres. Now that we've been overdosing on bland, cooky-cutter townhouses, it's just under 160 squares. 

So even with that drop, a house of just 70 squares represents a fairly drastic compression of space.

So ... how much can you do with a 70 square-metre house?

Turns out, with a knowledge of good spatial design and a little bit of cunning, an awful lot.

Yes, I know those of you living in homes with kitchens the size of a large double garage won't fit in. But, for the record, I live in a very workable house of just 45 square metres. So to me, 70 square metres looks like a luxurious surplus of useable space!

So let's have a look at what a little bit of ingenuity and exploiting a few legal loopholes can do.

Architect James Schildroth recently designed this artful 2-bedroom 756 square-foot house below (around 70.2 square metres) and will make it available to build. In the States (where the sun is a different way around and building is much cheaper), he reckons it would cost around US$270,000....

Despite the size, it has almost all a home needs. There are several space-saving measures here (smaller bedrooms and closets, minimal kitchen, etc.) and a number of 'tricks' that help space appear larger—most especially carefullly "nesting" spaces, and opening spaces up at the corners. That low roof corner outside the lounge is especially effective, offering privacy from a possible neighbour, while also suggesting to occupants that the edge of the main space is defined by the outside edge of those overhanging eaves, at once both sheltering and opening up.

These psychological "tricks" are important in every home, but especially important in one so small, when every square metre has to justify itself many times over — space that's not just flexible, but hard-working!

Floor plan & diagram overlay for Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighy House (above) suggests how 'nesting' 

spaces within even a small home can help produce an illusion of larger space by virtue of the shared 

spaces — the particular space experienced depending on the observer's location at any point in time

HERE'S ANOTHER: A 72 SQUARE-METRE home-office by (Organon Architecture) over two levels, the lower of which is just 55 square metres, but with extensive pergolas — and a hill!

And you can do a whole lot with even less, if you're cunning enough.

The key, really is breaking the box. Understanding how to play with the visual field to suggest a larger apparent space.  And to properly 'nest' spaces so that every square metre within works harder, and suggests more.

Prefabricated modules and the like are part of the thing, but not the main thing. It's how modules and spaces are arranged that becomes the main thing.

HERE ARE SEVERAL MORE EXAMPLES. 

Several years ago, when it looked like Auckland Council were about to relax rules around 60-square-metre "minor dwellings," I was commissioned to produce a few floor plans and systems for what, it was anticpated, could have become a modest business. Sadly, the relaxing of rules never happened, and my client instead decided to try for better things in Queensland. But the idea is there in each of these homes: that a modestly-sized home need not feel small if it is well laid out.  

The aim was to build these homes on a precast-prestressed concrete transportable deck — using a container module in order to show the many limitations of container design, and to allow factory-built homes to be fully transported if possible. They featured both "ceiling decks," to help with services and the manipulation of space,  and a "smart slab" in which dimensions were set for the builder and in which all main services were to be run as a "plug-and-play" system.

I did modify one of these designs to be built in a small town in Victoria. (See if you can work out which design...?)

Anyway, take a look. There were around a dozen ...

Like I say, you can do lot with sixty metres. Let alone what you can do with seventy!

ARCHITECTURAL MINI-TUTORIAL: Soft Geometry

Here's a very simple principle to bring into your kitchen: corners can hurt.

Ouch!

The solution is simple: something called Soft Geometry, instead of hard.

‘Soft Geometry’ is a technique used by kitchen designer Johnny Grey. 

Grey's experience with the Alexander Technique led him to study how body movement is affected by peripheral vision, which, surprisingly, turns out to be another source of muscle tension. When your eyes sense sharp corners on the edge of your path, they activate a stress response to ensure that you avoid hitting anything. This makes you more tense.

To counteract this and make the time spent in the kitchen more relaxing, Grey developed what he calls "soft geometry." His counters have round edges; his islands and the cabinetry below them are circular or elliptically shaped, while the counters and cabinetry opposite them are often concave. He also likes free-standing, floor-to-ceiling cylinder-shaped cabinets for storing large pots and pans. All these unusual shapes make the space feel more playful, which is also relaxing.

The unusual shapes would seem to require a bigger area for a kitchen, but Grey said the opposite is true. With a concave-shaped kitchen, you can get more cabinets and appliances into a smaller space, while freeing up more floor area so that two or more people can work at the same time.

Inspired by the relationship between peripheral vision and body movement, he argues that "people flow like water around obstacles in a space." So "by rounding the edges of the furniture, you make the kitchen friendlier to use." It's a happy space.

I want to make environments that make you feel good, that foster well-being [says Grey]. I started working with neuroscientists eight years ago – in particular John Zeisel – which validated a lot of the things I’d been doing with emotionally intelligent design. I also wanted to apply the science of happiness to kitchens , which was inspired by Sir Richard Layard’s book, 'Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.' He noted people were happiest between 5-9pm when they are either in the pub or their kitchen. So the question for the kitchen designer is, how do we enhance that? 

We need to have a central island where the hob is placed so the cook can face the room with a raised height bar for food serving and for leaning against. Visitors can then sit or perch and chat with the cook who can keep eye contact with the entire room. You need also different level work surfaces for small children and secondary work stations and plenty of table space so that lots of different activities can take place simultaneously.

And it starts with those curves. It could be something as simple as rounding the corners on a straight island bench, to remove the feeling of hazard. Or it could be a whole island is made elliptical.

His suggestion to make that eye contact easier is a central island in the kitchen, but one with curved corners, rather than angles and sharp edges.

"Anything that is in your peripheral vision demands more brain action. And something that is sharp can cause anxiety, however subliminal, because we are aware it's something we should avoid bumping into, as it could hurt.

"There's a practical benefit, too, because by using rounded corners for furniture you can take less space for walk-through areas.

Movements will be more relaxed, as subconsciously you won't feel the need to allow more room as you pass fittings."

While acres of counter space may look impressive, it's not what we need emotionally, says Grey, who believes we are more relaxed when we have less choice and more compact spaces to work within.

When working in a kitchen our eyes and focus are on the work, and on the people around us. Rounding off our corners removes the feeling of hazard in our periphery— and so keeps our eyes where they should be: on our food, and on our friends and family. 

It's all about maintaining focus on what's important. "Eye contact as key to design was another neuroscience-inspired idea,  alongside the identification of each kitchen's 'sweet spot' as the location for a key piece of furniture such as the central island."

This design technique "eliminates sharp corners and makes for a more relaxed way of negotiating an island in the middle of a room." The soft geometry "encourages everyone to linger in this space. People lean against these curves."

Grey's bespoke curved benchtops often call for curved cabinets. It's here where much of the expense lies. But you can bring in curves easily enough with a curved benchtop and "conventional" 600mm rectangular cabinetry (cabinets drawn below with dashed lines). ...

...or a straight benchtop and small island/peninsular. ...

... or something more ...

Q+A: I'm interested. So, how do we get started?

 

Thinking of buying or building?  

    You want a new home? 

    Or you want to renovate your existing home?

Our Design Consultation puts architectural advice at your fingertips.

Let's start at the beginning. 

    If it's a renovation: WHAT problem are you looking to solve. WHY do you want to renovate, or build?     What's not working for you NOW, and what's the best way to solve it.

    If you're building new: WHY did you choose THIS site? WHAT is the very best fit for you and this site? HOW can we make the very best of what the site and our architecture makes possible.

In short, what's the best diagnosis for your situation. That's what we do in our Design Consultation: Diagnosis, and Analysis. And some solutions.

Because if you're going to all the effort of building a home for yourself and your family, you don't want a one-size-fits-all home from a house-builder or a magazine — you want a house that fits you and your personality like a glove. And for many years to come.

That's what we do here at Organon Architecture.

If you want a flower out of the system instead of a weed, then you 

should contact us to book a Design Consultation.

Book your Design Consultation today

As Bruce Goff used to say, we aim do what you would do if you were a good architect. It all starts with our Design Consultation, where we get to know you (and you get to know us!) and we both start to see how to solve your problem by integrating your architecture with your site.

Q: What's a Design Consultation?

A: Our no-risk Design Consultation gives you architectural expertise for a limited time at a reasonable price, with no strings attached. Think of a design consultation as a house call: we visit your home, if appropriate; discuss and sketch possibilities; and answer basic questions about costs and construction alternatives for your new home, or for your proposed home improvements.

Together we can explore placement of a new home or extension, making the most of light and sun and views, masking of neighbours and sculpting of awkward spaces or facades, correcting balance and composition, and adding visual interest. We can even recommend how to avoid some common mistakes. 

After the consultation, a letter will document the results and conclusions of the design consultation. The design consultation is a “stand-alone” service. You are not required to retain us for the duration of your particular project. Our letter can form the basis of a briefing letter for whomever you wish. 

Q: Is it affordable? 

A typical Design Consultation takes two to three hours and costs $800 (inc. GST) as a stand-alone service -- and that includes our follow-up briefing letter and recommendations.

If you don't decide to continue with us, you can use our briefing letter elsewhere. If you do decide to continue with us, and we're confident you will, your Design Consultation fee forms part of your deposit for our next Workphase.

Q: What if I'm not sure?

If you aren't completely satisfied with the Design Consultation during the first hour, you may stop the Consultation at that time without charge.

Q: What should we bring with us to our Design Consultation?

Don't worry too much about preparing a briefing letter -- that is what we can all work on in the Consultation.

The following items will help us give you the most useful recommendations in the least amount of time. Having copies ready before the consultation begins really helps (ask us if you need help finding or acquiring any of these).

·       Site Plan or Survey. This document, prepared by a Surveyor, locates your site or your existing house relative to property lines, driveway, and servitudes. (Don't worry if you don't have this yet; if necessary we can organise this with our surveyor for you after the Consultation.)

·       Photographs of the Site or Exterior. Take photos of the front, sides and rear of your site or home, and of any major features inside or views round about. With a digital camera, you can easily take fifty to a hundred photos quite easily and then put them on a memory stick or upload to Dropbox. Some clients even send us drone videos! More is always better. 

·       Subdivision restrictions (if applicable). Many subdivisions have restrictive covenants limiting what can be done on your site or with your existing home. These covenants may limit your materials, establish setbacks and require approval of any plans. Look in your purchase documents for these. If you aren’t sure if your subdivision has such restrictions, check with your real estate agent or solicitor.

·       Floor Plans & LIM. A copy of your existing home’s plans is essential for renovation. Most council offices have copies of plans of existing local houses—and if you have recently purchased, you will have a Land Information Memorandum (LIM) offering essential site information from council’s records. (Again, don't worry if you don't have this yet; if necessary we can organise this with our surveyor for you after the Consultation.)

·       Contour Plan. For all new house projects and renovations, you will need to supply a site level survey. You may need to employ a surveyor for this. Ask us for a recommendation if you are at all uncertain. 

·       Your ‘Clip’ File. No two homeowners prefer the same materials, colours, fixtures or appliances. To help us learn your preferences, tear out pages from magazines, add ideas to Pinterest or Houzz,  or collect materials and brochures illustrating the ‘feel’ you want. Place a note on each, noting the items that caught your eye, and why.

Q: Where do we meet up?

We generally hold our Design Consultation meetings here in our office in Newmarket, Auckland, before organising to visit your site.

But we can also come to you. Travel time within Greater Auckland is free. For locations outside this area, travel charges to visit site(s) can be negotiated in advance (or can sometimes be integrated into a road trip in his MG!). Contact Peter for further details.

Q: Can we do our Design Consultation online?

For the very best peronalised design outcomes, it's vitally important we know you and your family as well as we can! So face-to-face meetings whenever possible are our preference. We do understand however that this is not always possible, so where necessary we can accommodate a Zoom meeting. 

 

With appropriate photographs and documentation, the Consultation may be conducted online. Many out-of-town clients have taken advantage of this option. Contact Peter for further details.

Q: I've booked in for our Design Consultation -- what do we do while we wait? 

You can have a peek here at some of our projects. Or take an Architectural Mini-Tutorial below to get a feel for how we approach your home. 

• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: 'Capturing a View Alive'
• ARCHITECTURAL MINI-TUTORIAL: It's all in the plan
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Breaking the box, part 1
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Ceiling Decks
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: The New Zealand House
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: The Sociable Kitchen
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Organising our visual field
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Radiant Heat
• Architecture: Making ‘a home for man.’ Part 2: What is a man?
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: More about windows
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Using tricks to deliver meaning
• Quote of the Day: "I finally got why architects spend as long as doctors getting an education"
• What is the ideal relationship of architect to client?
• But don't all designers need to compromise?
• Architectural Mini-Tutorial: Tips for your home office
• ARCHITECTURAL MINI-TUTORIAL: Soft Geometry
• Five architectural "must-haves"
• "Nature Near"

PRIMITIVE ART GROUP/BRAILLE COLLECTIVE

For interview etc. with Daniel Beban

BEGINNING TRACK: 

• TRACK 1: Black Dog, 1989 [to remind listeners] 

FORMATION STORY:

Stuart Porter on the early days, starting on a gifted saxophone: 

“He didn't even tell me how to play it. He said just do whatever you do. Blow it. Wiggle your fingers. That's about all the advice I got from him. And that's pretty much the advice I give young saxophonists these days. Blow it and wiggle your fingers. See what comes out and see where it takes you. That's all you really need to know.'

"You didn't get any other tips about the saxophone, books about fingering and that sort of thing?' I ask.

'No. Why would I do that?' he says. 'It was enough for me just to be handling this thing and making big honking noises on it. I had no musical training up to that point at all. At that stage the saxophone was just about making a huge noise to me. I just decided to make noises on the saxophone and try in some way to make those noises into music, without playing notes.”

Anthony Donaldson on meeting Stuart Porter: 

“'So I went up for an audition [at the Wellington Jazz School],” Anthony remembers. 'There were five people there, all the tutors. One of them said, "How long have you been playing for?" I said, "Well I've been playing for three months." Four of them left the room. They just got up and left.' After a few months in Wellington Anthony followed Bruno [’Lawrence’]s advice and got in touch with Bud Jones. … playing percussion in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra … ‘”…it was obvious that I didn't have what would be considered natural rhythm. I was practising six hours a day, five days a week for Bud, trying to keep up with what he was trying to do. Every other moment of my life I'm trying to play like Barry Altschul, trying to play sounds, just getting more and more into the free thing. See, I'd already worked out that you've gotta get your own sound, it's crucial. So I'd been doing that about a year when, where I was flatting, the woman next door, she'd heard me practising and said, "I know someone who plays like you, Stuart Porter, he's a sax player, you guys should play together." So I got his number and I rang him up.'

Q: Many overseas influences. Let’s go all the way back to the start, as I understand it. Tell us about the influence of Phil Davison coming to Wellington (who we’re just about to hear on Funhouse Blues)

• TRACK 2: Funhouse Blues [5:49] for Phil Davison’s solo sax, from perhaps the first album of improvised music/free jazz in NZ called 'Songs for the Dead of Gandamak', finally self-released in 1979

MORE TRACKS

• Primitive Art Group: Lannie’s Revenge 5:17 (Album: Primitive Jaw Clap, 1985)
• Primitive Art Group: Charles Mungbean 7:29 (Album: Primitive Jaw Clap, 1985)
  
• Primitive Art Group: Arctic Waltz “the single” 6:39 (Album: Five Tread Dropdown, 1984)
• Jungle Suite: ‘Pitch and Toss’ 2:39 (Album: A Walk of Snipe, 1986)
• Rabbitlock: Porridge (heavy broth) 6:16 (Album: The Backbone, 1986)
  
• Four Volts: Magpies 4:09 (Album: Somethings Burning, 1986)
• Front Lawn ‘When You Come Back Home’, 1989 3:37
  
• David Watson: A Code 3:38 (Albuym, Reference, 1986)
• Family Mallet: Bosch’s Bottom 2:33 (album: Bosch’s Bottom, 1986)
  
• Six Volts: Crying Shame 3:38 (single, 1991, Album: Stretch) - on CD
• Brainchilds: I Gotta KNOW 2:27 (Album, Braiinchilds1993) - on CD
  
• Thrashing Marlin: Ship of Fools/ boo bam/all you’ve got someday (feat. Len Lye) 4:35 (Album: Wits End, 2006)
• Mantarays: Dancing Round the Fire 4:01 (Album: Garden of Light, 2009) w Daniel Beban on guitar

SOUNDBED(S) FOR INTERVIEW: 

• ‘Flower’, 20:05, by Spontaneous Music Ensemble
• ‘Swinging in the Rain,’ 14:46, Primitive Art Group
• The Black Sheep. 10:12, The Black Sheep