A Short Guide to Drawing Sections
Materials should age well rather than stay new. Small buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more.
What I kept
Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have. This began as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer. I attempted the light-filled version first. It did not last. A threshold can change how an entire house feels. We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose.
There is no single right way to approach drawing sections, but some ways are kinder than others. I keep coming back to public spaces, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. Here is what shifted, and what stayed exactly the same. The first three weeks were for the most part about unlearning. Every winter I revisit the same questions about retrofit.
I keep a short list of things to try next; reusing materials is near the top. I keep coming back to materials, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. I like public spaces that shows the marks of how it was made. I shifted my mind about small houses twice while writing this.
The middle part
I keep coming back to retrofit, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. The first nine weeks were for the most part about unlearning. Nothing here requires a material samples, though it does make things easier. Small, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. Every autumn I revisit the same questions about timber frames.
It is effortless to overthink reusing materials. It is harder to just start. Good materials is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. You can get remarkably far with a site camera and some a steady hand.
What did not work
Somewhere between an old warehouse and home, the notion finally made sense. Most problems with materials turn out to be problems with time. Between renovating and sketching on site, the second one taught me more. Good daylight is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed.
I wrote most of this on a still Wednesday morning. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I worked out them. A friend once described renovations as still work, and the phrase stuck. I shifted my mind about materials twice while writing this. I wrote most of this on a still Thursday morning.
- Start with retrofit and nothing else
- Compare against last winter
- Budget twice the time you expect
- Give sketching on site a full summer
- Note the date and the weather
public spacesretrofitmaterials