...But the site of the luxurious, modern, three-story house was also located in the Bay Area just a stone’s throw from the San Andreas Fault. The owners not only wanted the structure to keep their family safe in the event of a severe earthquake, but also for it to survive the seismic shocks.
When the ground starts shaking, dampers absorb the shock instead of transmitting it up into the building. This means that the rest of the structure can be designed for reduced seismic forces, as the dampers take the bulk of the impact, just like shock absorbers in a car. The damper frames result in lower seismic design forces ...
The ancient Greeks did it, and an an example of such a success is a round dome on a square base. You see it in domed churches, and in mosques. Check out St. Peter’s in Rome, the Blue mosque in Istanbul and the US Capitol.
"In order to build well, you must have all of the team members in place: the architect, designer, the contractor, and the homeowner," says Steve Albert, president of S. E. A. Construction in San Mateo. "You cannot build well without all the legs of the table being in place.
Palo Alto Weekly: Front Cover – Features Emerson Street, Palo Alto, California
Marc emphasizes really listening to his clients and creating a space in harmony with their needs – even to the point of reining-in clients whose architectural wishes are in discord with their budget!
If you have ever taken a hammer to a wall, you've no doubt answered that question for yourself. Removing the skin of a building from the inside always reveals a narrative about the making of a building, a connection to the history of a place. That connection is certainly one of the most powerful and compelling aspects year's Dickens House.
"Before switching to the Mac, I used to struggle with AutoCAD and the blue screen of death," he says. "Now I use ArchiCAD, and I sometimes find myself sitting there working and laughing out loud at how easy it is. I don't regret switching at aIl.” He particularly likes ArchiCAD's 2D/3D integration, which gives him the seamless kind of experience in production that he was seeking.
"It's not uncommon for a second floor addition to look like it's been dropped from a helicopter onto the existing house," says Marc Lindsell, the architect for the project. "We went into detail to make sure it looked like an original Craftsman-style home, instead of a Craftsman home with an early 2000 addition sitting on top of it."
