Construction Innovation

Back-of-the-Moon Community: Coffered ceiling in the Goddu and Heisey houses

1994

Work of Art for Project, Coffered Ceiling

Exposed wooden beam coffered ceiling in the living rooms, with a cross shaped wooden ornament at the intersection of the beams.

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Saul Pichardo, Randall Schmidt

Content of

Project

Neighborhood of Five Houses: Heisey House 1992 to 1996

Lake Travis, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1995

Client:

Mr. & Mrs. James and Sylvia Heisey

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Saul Pichardo, Randall Schmidt

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure with Carl Lindberg

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 Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control

Design and construction of a family house for Jim and Sylvia Heisey, with an area of 2.000 square feet.
Neighborhood of Five Houses: Goddu House 1992 to 1996

Lake Travis, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1995

Client:

Mr. & Mrs. Michael and Patricia Goddu

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Saul Pichardo, Randall Schmidt

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure with Carl Lindberg

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 Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control

Design and construction of a family house for Mike and Patricia Goddu, with an area of 2.500 square feet.

Contents

Models & Mock-ups

Back-of-the-Moon Community: Goddu House and Heisey House; wooden mockup in the shape of a cross 01/01/1995

Mock-up

Created by:

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

Medium:

Array

Size:

18 1/2"x23 7/8"

Scale:

1'=1'

A full scale mockup of the living room ceiling ornaments.

Photographs

Back-of-the-Moon Community: Coffered ceiling in the Goddu and Heisey houses - Photographs 01/11/1995

Interior View

Photographer:

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Lake Travis, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

Source:

Digital

Characteristics:

Color

Two images of the exposed timber coffered ceilings with cross shaped ornaments at the intersection of the beams. The first image is from the Goddu house, while the second from the Heisey.

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 ...