Saturday, April 08, 2006

Resources: Architects hired

We debated whether or not to hire architects for this job. We knew that there would be a considerable expense associated with hiring an architect, and we had other options. However, after much debate, we decided that it would be in the best interests of the project to make this investment. After all, architects are artists - not just technicians - and artists are gifted with unique vision. We wanted our house to be the product of a unique vision and so we decided to take the plunge. Now artists may be visionary, but that doesn't mean that we would necessarily LIKE their vision, so we had to be sure that their vision sounded compatible with ours. We found a great match in a small, two man firm called Jasonoah Design. I had met Jason about a decade ago while touring Frank Lloyd Wright's Zimmerman House in Manchester, NH. He was just starting out as an architect at that point, and we quickly hit it off. In conversation with Jason and his architect-partner Noah, it became clear that we shared a very similar vision of architecture. I will elaborate more on this "vision" in a later post, but you can read about them at their website, which I recommend highly. After reading this site and looking at the images of some of their work, you may be left scratching your head as to how or why we have chosen architects with such a contemporary style. For now I am going to leave you in that state of confusion (it's good to have to wrestle with an idea or thought for a while...stretches the brain cells.) I would be interested in hearing what anyone out there sees as the LINK between the old barn and the modern home. Thoughts?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Really like your house. It has an interesting abstractness that plays off the original barn frame very provocatively. Must say, did look at the website of the architects and found it hard to believe your house came from the same hand. The work posted there was commonplace, latter-day FLW-'Usonian'-influenced stuff. Not very interesting really and missing entirely the elegance and frisson found in your project. At any rate congratulations on an impressive achievement in your house. Best. R.

vpezel said...

I am also wrestling with the idea of hiring (or not) architects for a green renovation of an 1885 house. If I do, I also need to find a synergy with the architect as far as having the knowledge of green technologies and methods and taste for modern architecture.
Could you recommend Jasonoah?