Paul thus wrote:
> Ugh. I just don't get it - even if I had his money, there's no way I would
> build a 20,000 sq.ft. house. That's just insane. And, as a disciple of the
> Frank Lloyd Wright aesthetic, pretty much everything about the design and
> color offends me. And think of the old-growth trees that had to die to make
> room for that?
I'm a huge fan of most things FLW. The ability to make a building
"organic" and part of the landscape is unique and satisfying. The
overall aesthetic is very simple and straightforward, but the detail
is in the small which echoes the large.
I just read the fire report for the "Castle" fire in Annapolis. This
was a house very similar to this "summer cabin" that had similar
design characteristics. While the fire was caused by christmas lights
and a dried-out 15' douglas fir, the fire turned fatal because of the
chimney effect in the great room with no fire breaks throughout the
house. Add to this, the fact that the house was not built with
fire-supression, which was required after the construction permits
were issued. In a matter of a couple of minutes the entire house was
in flames. The flash-over sealed off all feasable exits from the
bedrooms and everybody died.
A case where the owner designed the house.
This is a reminder of the open floor plan houses. They are great, but
from a fire perspective, there are no protective zones or resistance
to the spread. High ceilings and great-rooms make for beautiful living
spaces, but a fire in one spot is a fire in all spots.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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