An American House for the Eighties: Evolution of the All-Masonry House; includes the final report and a draft of it

01/09/1981

Student Work, Professional Report

Professional Report on the process of building and the new construction method applied to the Martinez house and workshop. Contents: II. Acknowledgements; III. Notes of Involvement; IV. Preface; V. Introduction; VI. Precedents: a) Construction Patterns, b) Building Projects, c) Masonry vs. Wood; VII. First Imprecision: a) All-gunite vs. All-masonry, b) Problems, c) New Approach, d) Alternatives; VIII. Second Imprecision: a) Masonry with Wood Overtones, b) Fear of the Marketplace, c) Examples; IX. New Vision; X. Power of Necessary Acts: a) Workshop, b) Terrace, Balustrade and Garden Seat, c) Wood Language, d) The Time for Change: XI. List of Sources; XII. Appendices.

Authors:

David Dacus, University of California Berkeley, College of Environmental Design, Department of Architecture, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Content of

Academic Course

Guidance and supervision of students in the Master of Architecture Program 1981

University Program:

Master of Architecture

Instructors:

Christopher Alexander

Enrolled students:

Hiroshi Nakano, David Dacus, Sungjung Chough

M.Arch Thesis and Professional Reports submitted for partial completion of the Master of Architecture Program.

Contents

Course Material

References

Scientific Research

Innovative Construction Systems, Techniques and Materials

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Construction Innovation

One of the main topics of research, included in every building project, was to identify, early on in the design process, the material and techniques of construction. This would re-establish building as an art, and allow rapid shaping and adaptation, ...

Projects

C.E.S. Office - Martinez House 1977 to 1984

4207 Arthur Road, 94553, Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1984

Client:

Center for Environmetal Structure - C.E.S. Directors

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Jonathan Fefferman, Harissos Tsiringas, Gary Black, David Dacus, Olasheni Agbabiaka

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$120,000

Project stages:

Layout on the site by C.E.S. Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout Direct construction management and on-site design decisions Users involved in the construction Innovative construction methods

The second building completed on the Martinez site, was a 2,000 square feet house. A gunite all-concrete building as well, it was the first sizable and fully functional project in which C.E.S. used gunite, while applying all permit and specification ...

Construction Innovations