August News |
| Dean Robert Camlin & Associates, Inc.
is moving! No, our address won't change. To serve our clients better we are consolidating our offices into newly refinished space on the third floor of our historic office building, pictured above. We will be offering our second floor, with more than 1,000 net sq.ft., for rent as professional offices, just as our first floor has been for many years.Dean Camlin will be teaching beginning AutoCAD for Carroll Community College's fall 2010 semester starting August 31!
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Some Personal History pt. 2
|  | My earliest memory is of visiting the jobsite of a garage my architect grandfather was attaching to his house in Croydon, a suburb of Philadelphia. This snapshot was taken when I was twenty-one months old. I don't remember anything else about that day, but perhaps the early experience of sitting upon the skeletal framework of what later became a building actually inspired my architectural ambitions.
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Architectural Jargon
| Architects, like many specialists, have a vocabulary all their own. We hope this regular column will aid you in the translation.
Balloon Framing
Wall framing in which the studs run continuous from foundation to roof (compare with Platform Framing).
Carriage
Inclined beam, usually cut in a sawtooth pattern, supporting stair treads (compare with Stringer).
Clerestory
A window in a high portion of a wall, allowing light into a lofty room.
Dentil Molding
Series of small, rectangular, toothlike blocks forming part of the classical-order entablature.
Hip
Outside joint between adjacent sloping roofs.
Nosing
Portion of a stair tread which projects over its supporting riser.
Platform Framing
Wall framing in which the studs run in single stories supporting successive floors up to the roof (compare with Balloon Framing).
Stringer
An inclined board closing off the end of a flight of steps (compare with Carriage).
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We hope you will enjoy this monthly newsletter. You are receiving it due to your past or present professional or personal relationship with our firm. Through it, we want to keep you informed not only of what's happening at our firm, but in the world of architecture as we see it.
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Many prospective clients ask whether we specialize in either residential or commercial projects. The answer is that we design both, but we really enjoy unique projects for their creative challenges.
As an example, one of our clients had a desire to add to his house to make room for his enlarging family. What was unusual was that he wanted to add a new floor level on top of the house. Although such an approach to expansion may be common for tight urban sites, the existing house was built into a hillside north of Westminster. As is often the case with older homes, no drawings from its original construction could be found --and thus, the features of its foundation were buried and unknown. After examining the condition of the ground-floor walls, we concluded that we could not trust the structure to support the additional weight of another story.
This cross section depicts how the addition straddles the original house.  | Instead we designed the addition to straddle the existing house, so as not to impose any more weight on the old house. Supported by a colonnade on the front and rear, the new upper level spans above the old roof. The only connections between the two structures are where the exterior walls were extended to close the gap between the old roof and the underside of the floor above, and where the new stairway to the upper level nested above the old one.
As is sometimes the case, the surface appearance of the completed house conceals the unique structure beneath. From the outside the house is vaguely reminiscent of a barn, apropos of its rural setting.
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Want To Try Designing Your Own House? (pt. 2)
This is the second in a series of notes on house design I've written for my architectural
BIM class at Carroll Community College. Please see last month's article for the introductory paragraphs--or, read the full article on our Facebook page.
Examine each space in detail. What will occur in the space? How many
people will be using it? What kind of furniture, casework, or other
items may be contained there? How will you enter and leave, and move
around within the space? These questions will determine how large the
space should be. Other factors include: How tall do you want the
ceiling to be? What kinds of views are desired to the exterior? What
surface finishes do you want? After you have sketched the size of each
space to scale, it is time to start organizing them in the desired
relationships according to your matrix. Try cutting out each space, to
make it easier to shift them around. Where necessary, add circulation
spaces such as hallways and stairs.
Design: After you have arrived at a pleasing arrangement of
spaces, start drawing your walls. This does not mean that all spaces
must be separated by walls; some of the best designs are open ones.
While designing, keep in mind the ideals of Vitruvius, that every
structure must exhibit the three qualities of strength, function, and
beauty; and add the contemporary additions of comfort, safety, and
economy.
Common Planning Tips:
Entry/Foyer: As the first place your guests will see, the entry to
your home should be a statement of who you are. It need not be large,
but should be centrally located to provide easy access to the main parts
of the house, such as the living areas. A separate foyer is preferable
to an entry directly into a living area; in colder climates it may be
preferable to include a door between the foyer and the rest of the
house. The entrance door should be designed to allow observation of
visitors without opening the door. The door should be protected from
the weather, either by recessing it or by providing a canopy or porch
roof. The foyer should allow for several people to gather at the same
time, and allow for storage and donning of outer wear. Finishes should
be durable-especially the flooring, which may see exposure to moisture.
In addition to the main entrance, you should provide for everyday and
service entrances to allow for easy access from the garage or carport to
the kitchen for loading of groceries or garbage removal; a "mudroom" is
often ideal for this purpose.
(to be continued next month)
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We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter. If you have comments on anything you've read here, please drop us a line. And of course, if you have a project in mind you'd like our help with, let us know that too. We'd love to hear from you! Sincerely, Dean R. Camlin, AIA, LEED® AP
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