The style of a home is almost completely irrelevant. Let me explain.
Potential clients often ask me what style of home I design. I respond that I design in building science. It’s a confusing answer that requires more context to understand what I mean and why I believe this is the correct way of looking at the problem.
Any decent architect is able to look at examples of a style – choose any: Contemporary, English Colonial, Jacobean Revival, Pueblo Revival – and quickly break it down into the design language that distinguishes it from other styles. Massing, roof size and shape, fenestration/window pattern, orientation, materiality, and detailing are all obvious to even a causal observer. Once we have that language we can build a new design in that style. However, diving a little deeper may reveal centuries of learning that is built into the traditional design that may have helped the builder’s weather their environment. Shotgun style homes in Louisiana are a good example, where the floor plan is arranged to be long and narrow with large openings at both ends to encourage airflow and therefore cooling. The Andalusian Riad’s interior courtyard likewise encouraged passive cooling. Homes in cooler climates were often square and multistory to take advantage of a maximized thermal envelope and the fact the heat rises to efficiently keep their homes warm. Some of this learning may have influenced the layout of the floor plan and that in turn has an impact on the massing and window placement.
A traditional floor plan layout does not have to impact a new design however. Worth noting is that many styles we design in are denoted as ‘revival’ which references the idea that these homes are not historical, and are usually so different from their historical counterparts that they needed a new classification – apart from the actual year in which they were built. Historical homes did not have open floor plans, interior plumbing, garages, or walk-in closets. The kitchen – depending on the region and style – may have been built in a separate building on the property to mitigate the heat being created and the risk of fire they represented. Thus, any new building built in a historical style is only a façade, and this is why style is irrelevant in high quality design.
What differentiates quality is then two things: the extent to which the Architect and the builder understand building science and apply it to the design and the comfort level that is maintained. In simpler terms this boils down to how we build the walls, roofs, and floors that come into contact with the exterior of the building. Detailing is king here. Any restoration company could tell you that the most common water leak in a home is the bottom corner of windows. That’s why for a well-built home you need the Contractor and the Architect to be a team with a passion for quality. To reach a high level of comfort requires thoughtful window placement and orientation of the building, a strong thermal envelope with minimized thermal bridging, and a well-balanced mechanical system that complements the chosen comfort level.
In addition: indoor air quality, acoustics, and natural light all have an indelible impact on the final satisfaction of the owner. Thus, the style of the home is almost completely irrelevant. But don’t worry, I will make it look nice on the outside too. It’s just that aesthetics is where my design process begins, not where it ends.