January 2006 Archives
San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic Arrol Gellner has a couple of very interesting takes of the state of design review and its increasing restrictiveness and emphasis on conformity. In Marin there are certainly some of the municipalities that are quite restrictive. There seems to be a correlation between the size of the municipality and the level restrictions placed on design. This is something that typically affects landscape projects less than building projects; but design review can get pretty restrictive even for landscapes. This is even more the case if the residence is in a PUD (Planned Urban Development) or HOA (Home Owners Association).
Read the first two parts of Gellner's Architext column: Design Review Boards Seem to Do More Harm than Good & Playing it Safe at the Cost of Originality
Art or Eyesore- Would this Rotterdam, Holland Cubic Condo Pass Design Review in the U.S.?
Here is a follow up to the first round of images I posted from a current job in San Rafael, as we progress into the planting phase of work. These images show plantings laid out waiting client approval. We have this review step so that any changes that need to be made to the plan can be done before the plants go in the ground.
Posted by Michael O'Connell at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2006
Current Project- San Rafael
Here are some photographs from a project currently under construction in San Rafael. It features a large serpentine Sonoma Fieldstone retaining wall that will create a lawn terrace with plantings and trees to be installed along the street frontage.
Before:
Before: