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Case Study House: Comfort and ConvenienceAuthor(s): Ellen Lupton and Jane MurphySource: Assemblage, No. 24, House Rules (Aug., 1994), pp. 86-93Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3171198
Accessed: 21/02/2009 10:34
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C a s e S t u d y H o u s e :Comfor t a n dConvenienceE l l e n L u p t o n
J a n e M u r p h yComfort and convenience have been twin principles inthe design of middle-class dwcllings since the rise of theninctcenth-centurvcult of domesticity.Physicalandemotional comfort is enabled 1b an environment free ofunyieldcingurfaces,extremetemperatures, harsh rinadequatelighting, filth and foul air,and a clutterofdisorganized posscssions. The orchestration of thissoothing environment has been culturallydefined as theprovince of women, who are charged with maintaining thehomec s a peaceful refugefrom the pressuresof paidwork.The mythic American home is a place of rest to which themale breadwinnerreturnsat the end of his commutefroma distant workplace.In the well-runhome, comfortdisappears:t is the invisible,enveloping framework ffresh air, digestible food, a good night's slecep,and a cleanplace to miovc the bowcls and bathe the body eachmorning.The styleof comfort is prototypicallymasculine,demandingthe erastire of fussy formalityand frillydetailsin favor of solid furnishings,well-lit rooms,and simplematerials.The plainlymasculine featuresof comfortbecame partof the modernist canon of design values.
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While architectural heorytraditionallydwells on weightissuesof structureand style,domestic information directeat women often confronts thehumble networksofconvenience and the modestgoals of comfort. Such guidestend to focus more on theorganizationof objects and
Perhapsa man's room is a workshop, perhaps it is a placefor him and his friends to smoke in after dinner,perhapsit is an office, perhaps it is a room where its owner can gooff by himself to rest or to think. The appeal of its fur-nishings depends entirely upon its suitabilityto use. Animportantitem for comfort is a well-planned closet - notjust a sentry box with a few hangers around the sides ...but one that has its space especially fitted for the thingsthat its owner wants to keep in it. Emily ost,1930
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duties than on the permanenhardwaref the house.Theories of convenience are often tactical rather hanstrategic, chartingnew paths through existing floorplansand productlines. Reorganizing he kitchen around aneconomy of "step-saving" as been a central concern fordomestic writerssince the mid-nineteenth century,fromCatharine Beecherto ChristineFrederick.Beecher'sphra"the close packingof conveniences"became a motto forthe design of compact, storage-intensivekitchens that
Catharine Beecher'smodel kitchen design of 1869 inclua built-in structurecombining a worksurface,storageunand sink.While Beecher'skitchen was later heraldedbyscholars of industrialdesign as a premonitionofmodernism,some elements of her design ethos failed tobecome partof the rigid grammarof the typicalAmerichome. Her kitchen unit, forexample, incorporatesopenshelving- not everythingmust be hidden behind asmooth skin of cabinets and drawers. n an area conven-tionallyreserved or a parlor,Beecherproposeda movabpartitionthat would enable the space to serve as a bed-roomby night and a living roomby day. Flexibilityin thedesign of appliancesand storageunits is an importantvalue today,as houses need to accommodate a varietyofuses and familystructuresover their lifetimes.
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assemblage 24
People today are no longerinterested in a house as anheirloom-type possession,but rather in its ability toservice a growing varietyof interests and activities,and its capacity to storeequipment, whethermachinery or sportinggoods. George Nelson,Problems of Design, 1957
The vacuum cleaner has never eliminated the broom, thedustpan, the whisk broom, the mop, the dustcloth, thepail. Do you begin to see why the modern house containsso much storage space? ... Almost any purchasenow-adays can start a chain reaction that may end in blowingup the house, if not like a bomb then like a balloon. Areyou acquainted with the man who was given a power drillfor Christmasand is now equipping a complete workshop?George Nelson, Problems of Design, 1957
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assemblage 24
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House Rules
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Interior ComponentsA. Raised access floor. B. Interior partition system: visu-ally and acoustically transparent, translucent, or solid.Cabinets and shelving components can be easily addedand changed. All plumbing, electrical, and mechanicalservices use the accessible floor and interior partitionsystems for distribution. C. Compact storage units foritems accessed seasonally or annually.
Exterior ComponentsD. Solid structural insulated wall and roof panels: highinsulating value combined with structure and sheathing.E. Transparent, translucent, or internally louvered stan-dard window units ganged together in factory to beinstalled on site.
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A decrease in the size of the lot allows a servicealley and tree belt to become partofthe public space of the community. The layeringof the neighborhood from parktohouse to service lane is mimicked on the lot, with a potentially continuous driveon inorth side. The linearnature of the house and siting and the flexible nature of theconstruction allow the possibility of conversion to more than one dwelling. Zoningconsiderations include the restrictionthat no house cast a shadow onto another hous
Neighborhood plan, 3 p.m.21 December
ReferencesDolores Hayden, Redesigningthe AmericaDream (New York:Norton, 1984).
ProjectCreditsEllen Lupton, writerJaneMurphy,architectAssistedby LisaBarnes,Diana Boos, DonaGibson, JonGuldenzopf, JimMcCool
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