All posts by Steve Wallet

Licensed San Diego Architect design, planning, 3D models and cartoons Please use my contact form on this site for any questions, thoughts or comments
Architecture, Design, Schindler

RM Schindler Project Logo

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Another passion, another logo

Since it looks like I’m not going to be stopping this Schindler thing any time soon, I decided to give it a name and a logo. I decided to call it the RM Schindler Project. The logo is meant to resemble Schindler’s houses, the Oliver House most specifically. The first and last letters of Schindler projecTinterlock to form the building. Horizontal ribbons of windows, based on the Schindler 4′ module system, spell out the intermediate letters. Like the Oliver House, this building is seen from below, looking up, to give everything a dramatic angle and plenty of movement.

More on the Oliver House, dramatic angles and interlocking letter forms in the Oliver House analysis, coming soon

Garden/Furniture

Hummingbird Nest

Wonders from our Garden

Recently we have been getting buzzed by a hummingbird when we walk in front of our garage. We knew this meant that we had a nest nearby, but we couldn’t see it. Yesterday I looked up into our tupidanthus and saw the nest,  6 ” above my head and 2′ from the edge of our open garage door. With us walking by all day, the door opening and closing, and our hunter cat on the premises – I can’t imagine why they picked such a busy spot for their nest.

I have never had any luck taking pictures of hummingbirds before, they move too fast. But I got lucky this morning and, using our zoom lens, caught Mom sitting on her nest and buzzing around, waiting for me to leave.

First       nest from above

Second  close-up of nest from the side
Third     Mom in nest
Fourth   Mom hovering
Fifth      Mom waiting impatiently for me to leave
Sixth     Mom back on nest

 

Architecture, Design, Garden/Furniture

Two Story Deck: Railing Update

Second chance to get a detail right

I try to think of everything when I do construction drawings, but sometimes I miss something. When I did the construction drawings for our two story deck (see previous articles) I did careful drawings of the handrails. I forgot, however, to show how the top of the rails met at the corners.  In the absence of a detail,our contractor Jack Murphy did the corners the way everyone does them. He mitered them together (first photo).

I had wanted the corners to overlap, the way all the other pieces of the deck do. I always felt a little disappointed that I had missed this.

In the years since the deck was built, the sun and rain haven’t been kind to the handrails. We recently decided to replace them, this time using non-rotting trex. I finally got to fix the corners!

It’s a detail no one else notices I’m sure, but I feel better knowing its there.

Photos:

Top: Mitered old corner in wood

Second from Top: New overlapping corner in trex.

Third from Top: Inside corner-notched, not mitered

Bottom:  View from below, with your head tilted way back, looking straight up. Overlapping corners seen in the context of the other overlapping connections.