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Date: | Fri, 21 Jun 2002 05:44:19 -0400 |
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It takes a special kind of architect to suppress his arrogance and
creative urges and defer to the traditional building methods.
Then there was the case of an "official" reconstruction of a Nordic
turf house. The agency was a national museum, which meant that
government architects would rule the roost. The original structure
was built of turf, stone, and timber, with a turf roof and dirt
floor. Naturally in the original construction, moisture seeped out
naturally and the whole structure became an organic part of the site.
So then the architects intervened; of course, those dumb old norsemen
couldn't have known how to build a weather proof house. We must
build for the ages. A building that big must have a reinforced
concrete footer. It must be waterproofed. Trust us; we are
professional architects.
Well, the architects did their reconstruction. It looked just like a
Norse turf-built longhouse.
But then it rained. The concrete foundation filled with water. The
waterproofing on the roof trapped water. The whole soggy mess
resembled a reinforced concrete bathtub. It smelled bad.
So then guess what happened.
The concrete tub was dismantled and the house was rebuilt, just like
the dumb old norsemen had built the original. It worked. It's dry and
comfortable.
In spite of all their degrees in architecture, the architects still
needed a lesson.
Then, of course, there was this palace in Hawaii. Who wants to tell
the story of that air conditioning?
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