"Almost anything that was wood is gone"

November 2, 2003 4:55 PM

One of the many casualties of the California fires was the unique and lovely studio and residence of artist and architect James Hubbell. Hubbell is a proponent of Architecture of Jubilation and his living and working quarters reflected many of his ideas about organic designs and sustainable building. The artist and his family and co-workers are fine but his one-of-a-kind house is not.
posted by jessamyn (12 comments total)

Walls made out of (highly incendiary) bales of straw? Ouch... Fascinating looking place, however.
posted by spotmeter at 5:04 PM on November 2, 2003

This is a great post. Thanks, jessamyn.
posted by homunculus at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2003

"A straw bale is too dense to burn, and would be similar to trying to light a phone book on fire."

Unlike, say, wood. Plus, straw bales are cool, man.
posted by majcher at 6:09 PM on November 2, 2003

That sucks.
posted by stbalbach at 7:53 PM on November 2, 2003

Pity about the insurance, and 71 is sort of a crummy time to be starting from scratch.

However: Architecture must take measure of all that it is to be human in a world that is whole.

Um, what? One thing that drives me nuts is architects waxing rhapsodic about their own halfbaked philosophy, rather than building sensible structures that don't suck.

When I hire an architect, I don't WANT a house that encompasses everything it is to be human in a world that is whole, I want a roof that doesn't leak (I'm looking at *you* Frank Lloyd Wright!). I want durable nontoxic materials that didn't destroy half the planet while being made. I want energy efficiency, comfort, and flexible good looks.

...instead, 8 times out of 10, you end up with something that's apparently been designed to be photographed, rather than used/lived in (I'm looking at *you* IM Pei).

/rant
posted by aramaic at 8:06 PM on November 2, 2003

> many of his ideas about organic designs and sustainable building.

...one of which must not have been "don't build in a known fire zone"
posted by jfuller at 5:22 AM on November 3, 2003

I blame the 3 little pigs...
posted by i_cola at 6:02 AM on November 3, 2003

This is incredibly awful. I'm a classmate of one of his sons and I had a chance to visit the house. It was beautiful and unique and it's hard to describe how wonderful the place was to someone who's never been there. Had I the money, I'd get him to build me a house just like it.

jfuller, most of California is a "known fire zone."

Just really, really bad.
posted by jscalzi at 6:12 AM on November 3, 2003

I don't see what the big deal is. It's just stuff.
posted by pardonyou? at 6:36 AM on November 3, 2003

> jfuller, most of California is a "known fire zone."

Goal!
posted by jfuller at 6:46 AM on November 3, 2003

this is a tragedy.
posted by crunchland at 6:53 AM on November 3, 2003

The Boys’ House

This habitable sculpture was started in the early seventies. The tan clay tiles on the steps and floor were rolled out with a rolling pin, shaped, coded, dried, fired and reassembled on the floor over a period of about eight years by James and some friends. The lively leaded glass roof in the bathroom showers the bather with color.

Wow.
posted by mecran01 at 8:42 AM on November 4, 2003