Archive for the 'Architecture' Category
Hartford Public Safety Complex
Work continues on the future Hartford Public Safety Complex on High Street. These pictures show the progress as of Saturday, June 27, 2009. The current schedule calls for the project to be complete in April 2011, and look something like this.
The roof of the former Hartford Board of Education building has been removed as crews work to preserve the historic brick facade. Looking into the structure, the second floor railing and spindles are visible in the small atrium beyond the front door. You can also see the supports for the former drop ceilings, hanging well below the actual ceilings.
Below the pictures are links to articles that have been written about the project over the past few years.
July 26, 2006: Half Million for New Public Safety Complex (The Hartford News)
March 12, 2007: City Council Authorizes the Use of Eminent Domain (HartfordInfo.org)
July 17, 2007: Public Safety Complex Nears Reality (WFSB)
January 21, 2008: Conflict Holds Up New Public Safety Complex (Hartford Business Journal)
May 20, 2009: Public Safety Complex (courant.com CityLine)
June 8, 2009: Downtown Public Safety Complex Good for Residents, Development (Hartford Courant)
June 26, 2009: House Approves Larson’s Funding for Hartford Public Safety Complex (tmcnet.com)
Tiny Houses in Connecticut
I saw this structure while driving on Interstate 91. It’s most likely not a tiny house since the Jamaica Cottage Shop doesn’t claim to make them. But it did get me thinking about the idea again.
A couple years ago I saw my first photo feature on so-called tiny houses. For those not familiar with the concept, a tiny house tries to pack all the essential features of a dwelling into a very small structure. Some of the smallest versions check in at less than 100 sqft. It’s a combination of minimalism and design efficiency. How little can you survive with? And how well can you organize those essentials into a functional home?
My interest was piqued by some of the plans by Tumbleweed Tiny Houses. Their website has pictures and schematics for many of their designs on the website, though it’s difficult to truly understand just how small they are. You can take a video tour of founder Jay Shafer’s 89 sqft abode to give you a sense of scale. They’re small. Really small.
Last fall a Yale graduate student gained regional attention for the tiny home she designed on the back of a trailer. You can learn more about her project in this article by a New Haven Register reporter and see a video tour made by the Hartford Courant.
These stories are probably the closest that most of us will ever come to experiencing a tiny house. There is, however, some hope for a small house. West Hartford has one property in particular that has the potential to be a very nice small home. It’s about 650 sqft and at this point is in need of a total makeover. Amy’s sick of hearing me talk about it, but it could be a really great place if “tiny house” principles were applied.
There could be a decent sized great room with built-in cabinets to house the various electronic necessities and provide storage. I’m envisioning a kitchen further back and open to the main living area, with the bathroom behind that. There may even be room for another room that could serve as both a dining room and guest bedroom (if it utilized a Murphy Bed). Above the back portion of the house would be a sleeping loft that would be the primary bedroom and provide more storage. Finally, there is a full basement and all the possibilities it provides.
Alas, Amy and I will not be moving. But if anyone is interested in taking on a project like that, feel free to contact me…
I Want That!
Today I saw the best yard ever. Large, level, fenced and sunny, it had everything I look for in a yard. There were flower gardens and vegetable gardens. The patio had covered and open areas - both large enough for a table and chairs. And of course there was an area for the grill. I want that yard.
This sort of thing has happened to me before. One of the interesting aspects of working in real estate is that you see different versions of the standard features. Sometimes the features are basic elements of the property like the home style, topography, or view. These features cannot be reasonably replicated elsewhere. In this case I can’t have the yard unless I buy the house.
Other times the interesting features could be replicated. For example, I could use the ideas of a particularly well done kitchen in a different house. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, but close enough to capture the feel and functionality of the space.
The ultimate in collecting unique features is to build your own home. You get to make all the decisions (not always a good thing) and set the priorities for the design. I’ve always thought that it would be really interesting to work with a professional to design a home that brings together a collection of my favorite features into a single cohesive property.
My home wouldn’t be over the top. It would have relatively common features like a kitchen with built-in electronics, a master bath with heated floors and towel bars, second floor laundry, and an entertainment system with projector in the family room. I would also want some less common features like a rooftop deck, elevator, and rainwater collection system. All of this would be wrapped up into a traditional design with historic elements. I think it could be done, but I would certainly have to save my nickels.
Now if only I could build it on that yard…