First dip into architecture WIP

[Speedster]

Hi all;

Put on another hat with this.  My wife Geri and I are seriously considering moving back to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we lived for ten years.  After 44 years of marriage and 40 years in business, we figure it's time to get serious about our lives!

But this time we may build our own home.  So I've been working on a design for a "Compound", as they are known, that incorporates living space with her sculpture studio and my office.  This is my first dip into architectural design, and a very welcome diversion from my medical device work.  Sometimes you just have to stretch, as we all know.

This is a serious work-in-progress, and right now I'm focused only on the space, massing, lines and general layout.  A pro would take over later.  So there's no windows or doors, glazing and all that stuff yet.  I will finish it up to that level, with furnishings and interior lighting, just to use and give honor to KeyShot 4 capabilities!  Besides, it's fun!  SolidWorks, with only the foliage done in post.

Santa Fe is at 7000 foot elevation, and the sky and light is very bright, casting strong, sharp shadows.  And the construction is mainly adobe, with soft edges and a lot of subtlety, all of which plays an important part of architectural design.  Pitched roofs are usually corrugated steel, but I used tile here as it was easier and sometimes used.  Logs, known as "vigas", support the roofs, and stick out of the walls.  The daytime shot uses my own backplate- that's our old home and studio in the background!

So, for now, KeyShot is proving to be an important design and visualization tool.  My intent is not finished renderings- those will come later.

Bill G

[malayutou]

the first one is really amazing.

[jbeau]

I love these!! I'm working on some environment stuff too, these inspire me:D

[edwardo]

Congratulations - hope you bag your dream! I hope to be able to build my own house one day. I love the idea of living in a 'compound' like this. It reminds me of some places i'v stayed on holiday in the south of Portugal. I guess thats the traditional type of architecture of that area due to (once having) horses?

Is that HUGE floor to ceiling window gonna be a studio for pottery and stuff? If so, thats awesome - you'll be living the dream! My father was a potter, think he would have loved a space like that, flooded with natural light.

If youve worked for 40 years youv earned the right to build your own home. If youv been married for 44 years youv earned the right to get your own spaces - its healthy! I can see what a nice quality of life you could have in a place like this

ps, first image is pretty good

[Josh3D]

Love the layout Bill. I'd turn that flat roof portion into a trellace-covered garden patio though The curve of the planter on the front, bottom-right (5a) looks a little off. May look good to have the entry lined up with the gate or have a path that meanders from gate to entry, around a fountain of course

[Speedster]

Thanks for the kind comments, guys!  Yes, this is fun, and a much needed diversion.  Compounds are quite common throughout the world, as they provide privacy security and a true sense of space.  And adobe (rammed clay/straw blocks, air dried) is a universal construction medium, although in Santa Fe very expensive as it's all hand made.  Most new construction is "fauxdobe". 

The entire parking, exterior compound walls, gates, etc. are just roughed in for me to put things in context.  They would have to blend with the topography and siting.  TBD.  Not shown yet is a "portola" covered walkway,on the cross-entry hall, facing the back garden and patio.  Also not finished is the window layout for passive solar gain. 

The trellised deck on the garage roof is a great idea, as watching the sunset is a popular pastime! I can see a circular stairway to it.  Thanks for the idea!

Geri is an internationally known sculptor, specializing in bronze bas-relief, from small medals (two presidential inaugurals, etc.) to large public works.  Her work is in the Smithsonian Institution, the Vatican Treasury and the Papal Collection among others, and she has exhibited at the British Museum and the like.  She's also a fine painter, mostly portraits and figurative, oil-on-canvass.  That's why the large, north-facing, skylight.  My/our office adjoins her studio.  You can see her (and my) work at www.GouldStudios.com  Everything on my half of our mom-and-pop site is rendered in KeyShot.

So- the secret to 40+ years of marriage and business?  1st, start out as best friends.  2nd- no matter what, celebrate a "date night" every week!  Forget about everything and just enjoy dinner and a movie or something.  Reconnect!

Bill G

[guest84672]

Excellent, Bill!

[Speedster]

A quick tip with foliage-  I used a spatter brush as an eraser to selectively and carefully thin out and shape the foliage, which is in three layers from shots I took last year in Santa Fe.  Then the drop shadows really do the trick, with no sharp edges, and casting quite realistic shadows and adding a 3D quality.
Bill G

[DriesV]

Love the 'solar blast' slanted wall.
Should be absolutely fabulous on sunny evenings.

Dries