No new Ideas

There was a time in graduate school when I thought I was coming up with new ideas everyday!!  As it turns out I just hadn't look around enough to realize in a world of 4 billion people with a history of thousands of years, everything has been done before.

Left-These stairs are fairly original with their balusters in tension and the structural handrail which supports the treads.  Though I've not seen this before, I'm sure this is not a first.

Below Right-The idea of lowering a portion of the ceiling or an exposed steel beam under an 18' long skylight is not new.  Nor is the metal frame with the recycled lats and the exposed cans.  All Ideas I've borrowed from others.




Mark, who had recently been published, taught a valuable interactive history and design course where this idea was embraced and used as a tool.





Below and Right- Assignments from Mark Gelertners ARCH 6686.



What we would do is look at an example of architecture with regard to a specific element of architecture, such as massing, entrances, perspective, and light, and symbolism, just to name a few. We would then systematically deconstruct a building of our individual choosing which exemplified the characteristics and break the concept into it's simplest components.



On a piece of 16x24 paper, we would graphically represented these architectural components and our analysis and complete a design of our own using our imaginations coupled with the lessons learned from analyzing precedents.

Ever since I've not ever been reluctant to look at architecture I like and analyze it for it's merits or even employ the characteristics I like into my own work.


Remember, there are no new ideas. But architecture isn't about the ideas, it's about the completion of ideas and with my post modern minimalist style, refinement of details is very important. Ultimately it's all about the details.



Right-A design of mine I call the 'spider'  It's an adjustable, removable, and disassembleable frame for a table pictured without the top.  The stem fits into machined vaults cast into the concrete floor. 


Below Right-A steel table.  Though the edge detail was borrowed, the design evolved through materiality and circumstance.
 




The best idea in the world isn't new and is more complicated than it seems.  Where the art and skill come to play is the refinement of the detailing, the attachments, the water proofing, and the special conditions.



I call this adaptation, but that's the topic of another professor, Keith Loftin who taught me so much about the process of architecture, an NFP (Near Future Posting).

To quote myself, 'complexity comes from the execution of simplicity'  In other words, always keep the design simple.  Complexity will happen on its own.

Above-a very simple post and beam.  No new ideas but a difficult connection to resist uplift on the beam with no visible connection.

Right-I've seen lots of chain downspouts.  It's not the idea but the scale that make this one successful.

All work shown above is original design work by Brad Hankins