Flavin Architects designs natural modern homes that respond to the location and aim to understand the entirety of the property. By combining three dimensional computer modeling with evocative hand sketches, we create designs that connect the homeowner to nature and emphasize quality architecture.
Colin, our founding principal, learned to draw when he was in architecture school at MIT. When he founded Flavin Architects, everything from the initial sketches to the final construction floor plans were hand drawn. The design process we employed on this project, a home for a young family in Newton, has become a benchmark for our firm’s approach.
Today, our hand-rendered drawings, models, and computer simulations work together to ensure that our clients understand how a concept will work and convey how the home will look and feel when built. These models and technical architectural drawings are prepared with years of experience and a vision for how contemporary design can be tuned to the New England climate. As we work through schematic design on a new project, we take time to understand the whole property. A home’s placement is organized to address privacy, and take advantage of views. Our initial studies don’t stop at the edge of the house, they include outside terraces, walks, driveways, and plantings.
This blog walks you through the design process for our Tiered Modern project.
The Flavin design process begins with our architects understanding the home's placement on the site. This includes considering the approach to the home, key views, and privacy from neighbors. Here is our initial site plan.
Colin's initial entry sketch of a new home in Newton, MA. He calls out a few key details to discuss with the client such as the chimney material and "sun catcher" stair.
Throughout the process, we use sun path diagrams to predict the way the sun moves across the site. Understanding the position of the sun allows us to build passive measures into the design of a home including roof overhangs, perforated screens, or architectural louvers to create shade. Read more about how we design in response to the location and angle of the sun on a previous blog, Solar Diagrams: Balancing Natural Light. As we finalize the home’s design, these tools act as a visual aid to convey our design decisions to the homeowner. We track the four most important days of the year, the summer solstice, the autumnal and vernal equinoxes, and the winter solstice because of the stark differences in the sun’s path.
We create this 3D model of the site and the home to accurately show our client how the sun will move through the new home.
Colin's final sketch of the home. He indicates an initial landscaping concept as well.
A final rendering of the home in which the architectural designers convey materiality. We use the aforementioned computer-generated sun models to accurately convey how light will move through the space in this model.
A photograph of the finished home. Flavin Architects remains involved throughout the construction administration process to ensure design intent is maintained.
We use hand drawings to flesh out the design of project, and think through the specifics of the home. This experience is highly collaborative; throughout the process we receive client feedback and approval. We find that using hand sketches engages our clients and encourages collaboration throughout the design process. Our hand sketches demonstrate general concepts, and as we finalize the design, we move to using our three dimensional software to develop a more exacting rendition of the design, including materials and interiors.
The hand sketching does not stop. Colin continues to sketch to design the interiors and finalize the home's aesthetic.
Through a combination of hand sketching and modeling tools, we are able to create new house designs that prioritize client lifestyle and needs. We envision buildings that respond to those needs and to the beauty of the landscape in which they are situated.
