Kaptein K Design

Strathcona Park

2010-08-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted here in a while....here's a link to what I have been busy with!

Origamic Architecture

2010-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

Origami is an art & craft form that has always fascinated me. I have made countless cranes, but also frogs, turtles, fish, elephants, koalas, whales, even a pterodactyl mobile.

Other than animals, the most common 3-dimensional origami forms are boxes, flowers, vases, and other functional items.

At one point many years ago, during my various crafting experiments, I discovered an art that combined my various interests in 3D forms – origamic architecture!

Origamic architecture may remind you of children’s pop-up cards but it can be extremely sophisticated and intricate.

The masters of this art as you might expect are from Japan. Professor Masahiro Chatani is considered to be the creator, combining techniques of origami (paper-folding) & kirigami (paper-cutting).

Templates are available on-line for many of the designs. Creating the piece is a meditative process as it involves much patience and precision.

If you want to give it a try, begin as I did with some simple designs from Baud & Bui . At the other extreme are these amazing creations from a Netherlands paper architect/artist .

Most of the cards that I made were sold through a craft shop, and I now have only a couple remaining as a reminder of one of my craft obsessions.

Triangular Photography

2010-05-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

Some of my most successful photos share a similar composition – arranging the points of interest in the photo in a triangular arrangement.

In ‘Blue Heron, Golden Evening’ the shapes of two prominent distant mountains is repeated by the branch in the water, each forming a point of interest, with the third and primary point of interest additionally accentuated by the heron silhouette.

In ‘Hairtrigger Lake and Albert Edward’, not only is the shape of Mount Albert Edward juxtaposed with its opposite in shape & colour, Mount Regan (a beautiful natural partnership!) but the third main point of interest - the pyramidal rock in the lake - is evocative of another mountain in miniature. There are other triangular relationships within the photo: the counterpoints of the dark shapes of the trees and their reflection in the lake for example.

The viewer’s eye is carried from point to point of interest giving an otherwise peaceful scene the energy of implied movement.

Triangular composition is related to the well-known ‘Golden Section’ proportions of classical Greece. Leonardo da Vinci also described these ideal proportions in terms of the human body.

Nature's Totems

2010-05-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Seeing dead tree trunks in a bog recently started me thinking about how much Pacific Northwest totems were inspired by these natural sculptures.

Pacific Northwest totems have long been a subject of historical & artistic study. These monumental sculptures carved mostly from western red cedar decay eventually in the rainforest environment. Few examples of poles carved before 1900 exist, but 18th century accounts of European explorers along the coast indicate that poles certainly existed prior to 1800, though smaller and few in number. Totem pole development is thought to have progressed from house posts, funerary containers, and memorial markers into symbols of clan and family wealth and prestige. Pole construction is thought to have centered around the Haida people of Haida Gwaii and spread to the Tsimshian & Tlingit, then down the coast of BC to northern Washington.

However I haven’t seen much written about the origins of the art in terms of its inspiration and derivation from natural sources. On a recent trip to Malcolm Island off north Vancouver Island where the hypermaritime climate encourages the growth of hemlock, spruce and cedar, I began to see the connection between natural sculptures and the indigenous art form.

The second-growth forest of Malcolm Island is interspersed with pockets of acidic bog punctuated by dead trees. Swamps, marshes & bogs are full of these snags many of which have fantastical shapes. It takes just a small stretch of imagination to begin to see animal faces and figures in the naturally sculpted forms. Protrusions and holes would easily become inspiration for carving. The snags would have an animistic presence when seen in the mists that are characteristic of the Pacific Northwest.

Volcano Sculpture

2010-04-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

The recent eruptions of the Icelandic volcano Eyafjallajokull have resulted in some stunning imagery of this spectacular phenomenon, in both video and still photography.

For a nature photographer a visit to the site would be an ultimate experience - but often the most stunning artistic creations are produced in the most extreme and dangerous natural situations.

In Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the Kilauea volcano which has been flowing to the sea since 1983 has attracted people to attempt sculptures with the molten lava. Years ago I recall seeing video of a sculptor wearing asbestos gloves while shaping the liquid rock into heads reminiscent of Easter Island figures, but haven't been able to find a link. Underwater lava sculptor, Bud Turpin, has attempted shaping active lava flows on numerous dives on active lava flow off the Big island.

One of my favourite artists, environmental sculptor Andy Goldswort hy, collaborates with nature to make his creations. Among his works are references to the powerful beauty of natural phenomena such as lava pools.

Barn Owl Box Architecture

2010-04-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

Since the Easter long weekend, I have been watching live video footage from inside a barn owl nest box in San Marcos, California, & am completely hooked on this 'reality tv' show!

This family of barn owls includes the female Molly, the male McGee, and four owlets, who are becoming more famous every day via interviews on TV & with schools across the US.

The owl box is located on the one-acre property of Carlos & Donna Royal. There is a wealth of extremely fascinating information on their website about the barn owls.

Of particular interest to me is the design of the owl box installed for the Royals by T o m Stephan.

When I first saw the footage from inside the owl box, the video was zoomed in appearing to show a simple box construction. As the owlets have grown, the daytime camera has been zoomed out, showing the sloped (shed) roofs, at the sides - but also showing that the centre of the roof is raised up. An outside video cam now shows the entire box at night as well.

The style is similar to a traditional barn style, often used for horse barns, called a Monitor Style Barn.

In the case of barns, the elevated roof in the centre allows for additional storage, natural light & ventilation.

In the case of the owl box, you can see on the video that there is a continuous gap between the sloped roofs & the walls at the lower level, and also presumably at the higher (monitor) level. This design would allow for ventilation of the box without the operable openings that a regular barn might have.

In the on-line comments that accompany the live video, there is frequent discussion about the possibility of overheating inside the box. Since the location is California, the daytime temperatures have been reaching 24C and will get even warmer before the owlets fledge & leave the box toward the end of May.

Fortunately, the clever design of the box will allow for a cooling flow-through of air: since heat rises, air entering from the entry opening of the box (on the front right hand side) will flow through the box, up & out through the gaps below the roof.

The monitor style roof in architecture has been used for industrial, residential & public buildings. In warm countries such as Singapore and Australia this style provides natural ventilation & cooling without any mechanical aids.

2009-09-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

Problems with converting the schematic floor plans! So first, here is a photo of the compact cottage-sized home.

The colour & material choices of the client add a lot to the charming character of the home. Metal roofing is low-maintenance, durable, fire-resistant (important in a rural area), eco-friendly (the metal can be recycled ) as well as having a wide range of colour choices to express individuality. The colour is repeated on window & wall trims adding a unifying element.

Traditional board & batten and shingle-style siding on the exterior walls emphasize the cottage character, as does the simple timber-frame entry porch.

Interior floor plans coming shortly...

2009-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

One of the smaller houses that I have designed was a cottage-sized dwelling with a footprint of 800 sq.ft. Despite the apparently small size, the house had three bedrooms, two baths and ample living & storage space.

Having lived in +/- 400 sq.ft. on several occasions myself, I find that can be plenty of space, if you don’t own too much ‘stuff’ . An open plan will increase the apparent living area. Extending the living areas into the outdoors by means of decks, porches or balconies also adds to the sense of space. Even more appealing is attractive surrounding outdoor property.

In this case the client had a rural property with river frontage, so the whole property had the feel of a casual cottage setting suited to outdoor living. The client planned to have friends help with the construction, so the building was to be simple & straightforward. The house shape decided upon was a rectangle - almost a square actually, which is the most efficient area (has the least exterior wall area). One-and-a-half storeys with a simple gable roof would allow for a usable attic with half-height pony walls on the sides & full height in the center, almost doubling the available floor area. The main level was to have living, dining, and kitchen areas, three-piece bath, laundry/utility room, and a bedroom, as well as the stairs to the attic level. A wood stove on the main level was to be the main heat source for the entire house. The attic would have two bedrooms and a full bath.

The rear of the house faced the river so the rooms were to take advantage of the views and access.

Any vehicles would be parked outdoors. Even a single-car garage easily requires 300-400 sq.ft. –a lot of money to spend on constructing shelter for an object, rather than for people.

How did all this manage to fit into the building footprint? Stay tuned for the interior floor plans.

2009-08-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Previously I presented a series of options for a porch design (see earlier post). I had intended to follow up sooner but my computer was in the shop!

The option chosen by the client was H: the gable roof porch with a small Dutch hip roof at the bottom. Here is the finished construction.

I actually would have chosen a different option, probably E (see drawings below): the porch roof as a Dutch hip across the whole front façade, for a few reasons:

that version would have fully integrated the porch with the remainder of the house, as if the porch was not an add-on but part of the original construction.
normally I would not choose to have gable roofs with two obviously different pitches on the same side of the house (though a different pitch might not even be noticeable if on another facade) The porch roof height was limited by the sill of the upper window, so the pitch had to be lower if a gable was used.
a secondary benefit of version E (perhaps difficult to see in the small drawings) is that the overall porch roof & fascia height would have been higher, enough to allow an additional decorative trim (lattice or trellis work) spanning from post to post of the porch while still allowing a bit more light into the lower floor windows. This decorative element could have added even more heritage character to the house.

The gable chosen does create a central focus & emphasizes the entry point. This choice also avoided disturbing the existing house roof in order to tie-in to the porch roof.

Materials on the exterior were also changed, with the addition of shingles on the upper wall to match the porch gable, and natural stained wood trim around the existing windows & fascia to match the wood porch structure. This gives visual unity to the whole building – repeating materials and colours.

Next I will look at the design of a small cottage-size home and then the subsequent process when an addition was needed.

2009-07-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a simple design scenario:

A client asked for a re-design of the front facade of a house: a gable wall with a small half-hip roof at the top. The upper window is symmetrically placed, but the lower windows & entry door are all offset, giving the front facade an unbalanced appearance. The steps up to the front door were also awkward: an abrupt entrance from the street just a few yards away.

Given the style & era of the house, it very likely had a porch at one time, and many inspiring examples were found in the neighbourhood & in another nearby community which has a strong heritage character.

The decision to add a porch was a significant & fundamental design choice:

giving a more human scale to the 1-1/2 storey gable facade

creating a welcoming transition from the public street to the private entry

providing shelter from the elements before entering the house

adding heritage detail in keeping with the character of the house

a way of disguising the asymmetrical windows & door

I presented the client with four basic options for the porch roof design, each with two variations. Neither is a 'right' or 'wrong' choice - each basic option has precedents in the community vernacular - although some versions were more aesthetically appealing, to me, than others.

A: shed roof.........B: shed roof with centre gable

C: hipped roof ......D: hipped roof with centre gable

E: full Dutch hip.....F: full Dutch hip with centre gable

G: gable roof........H: gable roof with small Dutch hip

Ultimately the client chose his preference & constructed it.

Which choice do you prefer? I will post the version the client chose, with comments, next week.

2009-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Kaptein K Design blog - a forum to discuss design issues in the Comox Valley & beyond.

I plan to post examples & ideas about architectural design principles, creative design development, and even ideas about potential enhancement of existing buildings & spaces.

I hope you'll join in the discussion!

Visit my website www.members.shaw.ca/kapteink for more info about Kaptein K Design.