| Kristin House | |
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| The Kristin House represents an acknowledgement of man's mortality right from the start. Even if the finished house were to fall well short of its engineered lifespan of 700 to 1000 years through some sort of political or environmental upheaval, it can only be built by a person who is willing to at least ponder the relatively short duration of a single human lifespan. Humility, however, is not the goal of this project, but rather the establishment of a beachhead in the journey through time and the imparting of a need to make plans which span generations, not just years (thus possibly helping to avoid political and environmental catastrophe). The Kristin House is a dwelling for Man, the caretaker of the land, no longer Man the usurper. | |
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| The Kristin House is to be constructed in a limited number of editions which are almost identical. The master house will be built from drawings and each subsequent house will be built using the resulting steel formwork. Our estimate is approximately ten editions in various geographic locations, with each new owner buying into the corporate entity that owns the formwork. The corporation has two purposes. The first is to distribute the sizable initial cost of the formwork, the second, and more important purpose, is to link the houses and their inhabitants to better insure structural and mechanical integrity for the full life-span of each unit. | |
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| Reinforced concrete has been chosen for these houses not just because of its durability but also because it has potential for great beauty in the right hands. The formwork necessarily dictates that each house will be very similar in exterior shape and floor plan, but various admixtures can alter the appearance of the concrete significantly without sacrificing strength or durability. Interiors will be hardwood, where necessary, to cushion the inhabitants from the unyielding concrete or tiled surfaces, thus resulting in a structure which imparts a powerful sense of protection and solitude when needed. | |
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| The Kristin House challenges the widely held belief that Man is capable only of dirtying his land and environs without regard for subsequent generations. The Kristin House is a fully functional monument to the future, not an ode to the past. | |
Edwin Harold Clark, Architect
Copyright © 2005 by WelcomeArchitecture and Avalon Foundation. All rights reserved.