Part 6 copy — How A House Works

Here are some Examples

I will call this one “The Sound of Fountains”. A fountain is a glorious thing to have inside or out, and the design of such a component should take several things into consideration; in this case, an outdoor to-indoor fountain that greets the guest first, upon approaching the front door, and then inside the entry foyer. How do some people, even those with very good taste, sometimes get it so wrong? A few years ago I was invited to stay at the amazing hilltop villa of my dear friends Randy and Scott, situated just outside of, and with a glorious view looking down upon

Guatemala City.

A winding road leads you up the steep mountain passing elegant homes perched on rocky cliffs, massive walled compounds with elaborate entry gates, each containing

armed guards

as the political situation in this area demands. Upon entering the enclosure, a smaller road winds even further uphill to the cluster of structures. And finally, after parking the car, one walks up a generous flowing staircase surrounded by all sorts of tropical greenery, to the very top of the hill and the home’s entryway. There is a large roof overhang providing generous shelter, oversized

volcanic molcajete,

potted plants galore, and on the left, a quite large pond and fountain. Everything sounds exquisite, right? But something was wrong. And I didn’t put my finger on it until the following day. Let me explain.

When it came time to design the component, let’s imagine the first thought being "I remember seeing this amazing fountain in a garden in Tlacquepacque”. The client wishes to recreate that experience,

that memory,

which we all know is a near impossibility. The builder is now reinterpreting a rough sketch of a vague memory of a fountain that someone saw years ago, and is trying to remember the specifics of, but all the while forgetting that the CONTEXT was totally different. We all make this mistake! We want to incorporate all of the amazing things we have seen along our journey into one, complete experience. And here we are not just talking about the visuals. With a fountain, it’s also about the quality of sound - of music… the tonality… the sonance, Do you care to produce multiple notes? A chorus of reverberating pitch? Or in the case of my dear friends, Randy and Scott, the sound of a high-blast jet dumping into a half-full bathtub? Randy… Scott…

I think not!

Not only does one NOT wish to be reminded of their hygiene upon entering a beautiful interior, the VOLUME of this design makes one have to speak too loudly when being introduced to the host. The host must yell WELCOME, to which the guest has no option but to scream back WHAT A LOVELY HOUSE YOU HAVE. Take it down a notch boys. Better yet take it down several notches. This isn't

SPINAL TAP.

I’m assuming that the design was carried out exactly to the specs provided, and yes, the fountain worked properly, meaning it did in fact recycle water from the volume below. But here is my issue with this particular arrangement; the spout being too high above the water surface, as well as the volume of water being too high, and the surrounding material surfaces too reflective, the sound it produced made one think of a corporate lobby instead of a comfy domicile. It might have worked fine in a more public context where the designers wished to drown out a less pleasant noise-scape. My simple solution was easily employed. Turn down the volume of water flowing through the pump. Lower the distance of the falling water. Place a handsome volcanic rock underneath the spout so the water’s flow hits multiple surfaces… creating a chorus of musical notes… a calming background aria welcoming your guests with grace and civility.