Working with Daylight
Small buildings demand the same care as large ones, sometimes more. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed. Materials should age well rather than stay new. Every summer I revisit the same questions about daylight.
Trade-offs
We draw by hand early on; it keeps decisions loose. Looking back, the low-energy approach was the right call. Every winter I revisit the same questions about small houses. Looking back, the modest approach was the right call.
Notes along the way
A threshold can change how an entire house feels. Most problems with materials turn out to be problems with time. Between sketching on site and renovating, the second one taught me more. I shifted my mind about public spaces twice while writing this. This began as a quick note and gradually turned into something longer.
Good renovations is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. Looking back, the local approach was the right call. Somewhere between a hillside plot and home, the notion finally made sense.
Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. A tracing paper helps, but it is not the point. There is no single right way to approach sketching on site, but some ways are kinder than others. Daylight is the cheapest and most generous material we have. A friend once described renovations as still work, and the phrase stuck.
What I kept
I keep coming back to daylight, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. Every spring I revisit the same questions about materials. Every winter I revisit the same questions about daylight. Every spring I revisit the same questions about timber frames.
What changed
Small, repeatable steps beat big plans nearly every time. I keep coming back to public spaces, for the most part because it rewards a steady hand. Good retrofit is for the most part a series of small, unglamorous decisions. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I worked out them.
A friend once described retrofit as still work, and the phrase stuck. I keep a short list of things to try next; sketching on site is near the top. You can get remarkably far with a measuring tape and some a steady hand. Somewhere between an old warehouse and home, the notion finally made sense. A friend once described public spaces as still work, and the phrase stuck.
- Do less working with light, more renovating
- Note the date and the weather
- Ask someone at the site
- Leave room for light-filled mistakes
renovationstimber framespublic spaces