Model & Mock-up

The Upham House: Concrete Frieze; wooden stamp

01/01/1992

Construction Mold

Wooden stamp, with a low-relief star octagon pattern, used on the concrete wall frieze.

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Randall Schmidt, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA

Medium:

Array

Size:

5"x5"

Scale:

1'=1'

Content of

Construction Innovation

Upham House: Concrete frieze 1992

Work of Art for Project, Ornament

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Randall Schmidt

Concrete wall frieze with star octagon repetitive design; chosen after testing it against the alternative lily frieze design and finalized after mockups of different size octagons.

References

Scientific Research

Ornament and Function as Products of Unfolding

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Structure Preserving Transformations

Ornament arises as part of the design process, when a person is making and seeks to embellish this "something" while making it. It arises as a result of the latent centers in the uncompleted thing requiring still more centers, requiring ...

Projects

House for Chris Upham and Stephanie Upham 1989 to 1994

37 Poppy Lane, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1994

Client:

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher and Stephanie Upham

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Randall Schmidt, Carl Lindberg, Gary Black, James Maguire

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$439,000

Project stages:

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Use of full scale mock-ups Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout Direct construction management and on-site design decisions

Two-story family house, with 2,400 square feet floor area, designed with the participation of the clients. The construction of a massive 15 high foot high retaining wall and sewer reconstruction caused by unusual hill condition added $96,000 to the house ...

Photographs

The Upham House: Concrete Frieze - Photographs of mock-up 01/01/1992

Construction Innovation, Mock-up, Construction Process

Photographer:

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Source:

Digital

Characteristics:

Color

One photograph of testing and comparing the star octagon ornament against the lily tile ornament, for the wall frieze; and a second one of checking the lily tile ornament as part of the frieze below the balcony balustrade.