#ArchiTalks 38 "Unlikely Inspiration"
#architalks 38 "Unlikely Inspiration"
sheep on the cliffs above your heads but you didn’t shut up and they ran away. We never saw them (which was
probably a good way to avoid snakes too) )
So anyways, by the end of the first day, we realized that we didn’t want to carry all of those cans around and we
pretty much ate the majority of the canned food which was made into chile or chicken dumpling stew or something
and I forget what we ate the rest of the time. We did stop at a camp store at one point and buy something and that
is where we later discovered that Jeff had bought candy was staying a ways back and eating it, but we solved that
problem.
Unlikely Inspiration
My unlikely inspiratation is probably not that unlikely an answer for most architects and that is the one that we get
from:
from:
Nature.
And camping.
And camping.
I really like Nature and , i always have
I grew up in Dormont, PA, a borough 10 minutes outside of Pittsburgh I was not one of those kids who wanted to
stay at home all the time, i enjoyed being at home and as the only daughter, most of the time i had my own room
(until i got marrried) and i like being by myself though I am obviously not having been married for 27 years and
having three kids who are all back in the house, this being Southern California and all.
stay at home all the time, i enjoyed being at home and as the only daughter, most of the time i had my own room
(until i got marrried) and i like being by myself though I am obviously not having been married for 27 years and
having three kids who are all back in the house, this being Southern California and all.
My parents divorced when I was young and because of my dad being on the road a lot, we never went anywhere
(as far as i was concerned) but we did go on one trip that i can remember to Florida to see his parents who were in
Miami Beach at that point and the only thing that i can really remember is going to a motel and eating a lot of soft
serve ice cream and the trip seemed like it took forever but my parents said it was like two days to get there.but my
dad was not a camper. When my mom and stepdad got together, We used to take a lot of day trips and camping
weekends in Southwestern PA, Erie, Pymatuning, etc) West Virginia and Ohio tio see the state parks.
(as far as i was concerned) but we did go on one trip that i can remember to Florida to see his parents who were in
Miami Beach at that point and the only thing that i can really remember is going to a motel and eating a lot of soft
serve ice cream and the trip seemed like it took forever but my parents said it was like two days to get there.but my
dad was not a camper. When my mom and stepdad got together, We used to take a lot of day trips and camping
weekends in Southwestern PA, Erie, Pymatuning, etc) West Virginia and Ohio tio see the state parks.
 |
| my brother and i, no we weren't twins, he wis 2 years younger, he was just always tall |
Later when I was in Girl Scouts we used to go camping and I really liked going away tfor weekend camping trips
and to established camp for a week or two. Then when we were older, we actually went to different states on trips
with the Girl Scouts so that is how I got to see Atlantic City, New Jersey (the summer before the casinos),
Williamburg VA, and New York City before I was 14. But one of the best things that I liked about girl scouting was
this thing called “Patrol Encampment”. So you would have these groups of girls who came from different troops in
your area and there would be a theme and then you would compete against the other patrols. So there would be a
theme like, “Fantasy Land” land and you would have a group of about 8 girls and you would come up with a name
and a bandana and maybe a t-shirt that you made that went with your theme and you made your camp which was
out at a girl scoupt camp out in the country. And the troop leaders would stay in the lodge and the campers would
each have their own campsite set up and you would have to come up with something to eat from a box of food they
gave you and if you were smart about it, it would be done well. The whole thing was kindof like one of those reality
shows, except the girl scouts were way smarter and got along better because you were basically graded on it.
And you had to lash something and have your whole camp set up and to me, it was pretty cool. And when I got
older and was a first class scout (I was like 14) it was anothergirl and I and we got to stay in the platform tent down
by the girls so we had to field interference so that the leaders didn’t have to deal with anything unless there was
a lot of blood and screaming.
and to established camp for a week or two. Then when we were older, we actually went to different states on trips
with the Girl Scouts so that is how I got to see Atlantic City, New Jersey (the summer before the casinos),
Williamburg VA, and New York City before I was 14. But one of the best things that I liked about girl scouting was
this thing called “Patrol Encampment”. So you would have these groups of girls who came from different troops in
your area and there would be a theme and then you would compete against the other patrols. So there would be a
theme like, “Fantasy Land” land and you would have a group of about 8 girls and you would come up with a name
and a bandana and maybe a t-shirt that you made that went with your theme and you made your camp which was
out at a girl scoupt camp out in the country. And the troop leaders would stay in the lodge and the campers would
each have their own campsite set up and you would have to come up with something to eat from a box of food they
gave you and if you were smart about it, it would be done well. The whole thing was kindof like one of those reality
shows, except the girl scouts were way smarter and got along better because you were basically graded on it.
And you had to lash something and have your whole camp set up and to me, it was pretty cool. And when I got
older and was a first class scout (I was like 14) it was anothergirl and I and we got to stay in the platform tent down
by the girls so we had to field interference so that the leaders didn’t have to deal with anything unless there was
a lot of blood and screaming.
 |
| I think i was 14 here, I actually volunteered to speak , and i spoke on “what our leaders have done for us” |
We used to take a lot of day trips tor camping weekends in Southwestern PA, Erie, Pymatuning, etc) West Virginia
and Ohio to see state parks and to camp.
and Ohio to see state parks and to camp.
In fact, there was a program that the Scouts were associated with that was training to be a park ranger. So I signed
up for it and had gone to a couple camping sessions and then my Saturday Art Institute Saturday Teen Classes
teacher asked where I was and my friends said, “she’s camping in the woods”. Now I realized that I didn’t want to
be a ranger, basically because though I like being in the woods and communing with nature., I like being with people
and most rangers don’t.
up for it and had gone to a couple camping sessions and then my Saturday Art Institute Saturday Teen Classes
teacher asked where I was and my friends said, “she’s camping in the woods”. Now I realized that I didn’t want to
be a ranger, basically because though I like being in the woods and communing with nature., I like being with people
and most rangers don’t.
So, I went to art school and went to architecture school and still went into the woods to be with nature.
So, I know that there was that movie with Reese Witherspoon that came out a few years ago and I confess I didn’t
watch it (and I probably still won’t but I guess it was all about how she found herself on the Pacific Crest Trail and that
is all fine and nice, but this is my PCT story.
watch it (and I probably still won’t but I guess it was all about how she found herself on the Pacific Crest Trail and that
is all fine and nice, but this is my PCT story.
So my mom and stepdad moved to San Diego and one summer my two stepbrothers and my brother and I decided
that we were going to go backpacking. Now we had done day trips before and we had camped overnight but we
had never backpacked before. So my stepbrother Gregg and my brother Barry and I ddi most of the planning and
my stepbrother Jeff just always went along with whatever we did because he was the yongest by about 3 months.
So, first we planned out the trip , where we wanted to go (the Pacific Crest Trail, which isn’t that far away from us
here) and we went and tried all of these dehydrated camping foods, but they didn’t taste very good so we decided
that we were going to bring the stuff that we liked to eat, most of it in cans., And we had our sleeping bags but we
didn’t want to get special backpacking ones so we jsut used our thin ones and we had our two little tents and our
water, which it was August, so we had to carry a gallon of water each and we were planning on hiking about 4 miles
a day and our parents would drop us off at one spot and pick us up 12 miles away a few days alter. So, one of the
things that people always freak out about when I tell them this story is that I was the oldest at 17, Gregg was 16 and
Barry and Jeff were 15. And people would say,
that we were going to go backpacking. Now we had done day trips before and we had camped overnight but we
had never backpacked before. So my stepbrother Gregg and my brother Barry and I ddi most of the planning and
my stepbrother Jeff just always went along with whatever we did because he was the yongest by about 3 months.
So, first we planned out the trip , where we wanted to go (the Pacific Crest Trail, which isn’t that far away from us
here) and we went and tried all of these dehydrated camping foods, but they didn’t taste very good so we decided
that we were going to bring the stuff that we liked to eat, most of it in cans., And we had our sleeping bags but we
didn’t want to get special backpacking ones so we jsut used our thin ones and we had our two little tents and our
water, which it was August, so we had to carry a gallon of water each and we were planning on hiking about 4 miles
a day and our parents would drop us off at one spot and pick us up 12 miles away a few days alter. So, one of the
things that people always freak out about when I tell them this story is that I was the oldest at 17, Gregg was 16 and
Barry and Jeff were 15. And people would say,
“Your parents let you hike by yourselves at that age?’
But the weird thing is that these are the same people who let their daughters go to Mexico for spring break.
Which camping with your annoying little brothers in the willderness is a lot safer
Which camping with your annoying little brothers in the willderness is a lot safer
Of course, my brothers were all over 6’, even at that age, so i am pretty sure that nobody knew how old were were.
And we didn't have cell phones!!!
So our parents let us off up in Mt. Laguna and watched us walk down the trail (and later said, there were bighorn And we didn't have cell phones!!!
sheep on the cliffs above your heads but you didn’t shut up and they ran away. We never saw them (which was
probably a good way to avoid snakes too) )
 |
| Bighorn sheep that we saw when we went to the Anza Borrego Desert and they didn't care that people were talking |
So anyways, by the end of the first day, we realized that we didn’t want to carry all of those cans around and we
pretty much ate the majority of the canned food which was made into chile or chicken dumpling stew or something
and I forget what we ate the rest of the time. We did stop at a camp store at one point and buy something and that
is where we later discovered that Jeff had bought candy was staying a ways back and eating it, but we solved that
problem.
So of course it is not just the camping that inspires me it is the nature that you camp in,. We walked for hours and
wouldn’t see anyone else. We walked about a mile through part of the trail that had been burned by a wildfire, so
everything was blackened except for the trail that led through it and that was just from people walking on it.
wouldn’t see anyone else. We walked about a mile through part of the trail that had been burned by a wildfire, so
everything was blackened except for the trail that led through it and that was just from people walking on it.
So the first time I went to Joshua Tree, it was with a group of architects that we hung out with in Los Angeles and
we decided to start going camping.. Now the first time we went camping, we had met after work and we didn’t know
some of the people because they were friends and coworkers of my friend Neil Peoples, but it included Tim Andreas
and Craig Schmitt and my husband. Of course years later, they still kid me about how I showed up to camp wearing a man’s
suit jacket and Beatle boots, but whatever, they realized when we were actually camping that I was the one with the
most “outdoors experience” and they had just visited an REI before the trip. Anyways, we camped there a few times
with the group and we actually took our daughter when she was about 6 months old and couldn’t even walk yet, but
of course that was back in the day when people didn’t go out to Joshua Tree and get plastered. (That's another story
to be told) And yes, we would actually play U2's Joshua Tree when we would go out there.
some of the people because they were friends and coworkers of my friend Neil Peoples, but it included Tim Andreas
and Craig Schmitt and my husband. Of course years later, they still kid me about how I showed up to camp wearing a man’s
suit jacket and Beatle boots, but whatever, they realized when we were actually camping that I was the one with the
most “outdoors experience” and they had just visited an REI before the trip. Anyways, we camped there a few times
with the group and we actually took our daughter when she was about 6 months old and couldn’t even walk yet, but
of course that was back in the day when people didn’t go out to Joshua Tree and get plastered. (That's another story
to be told) And yes, we would actually play U2's Joshua Tree when we would go out there.
 |
| Crystal Cove State Beach camping |
So, the last family trip we took we didn’t camp, we drove to New Mexico, to Jemez Springs, and we stayed at a
friends’ little motel. We have a friend from architecture school Michael Vallen and a friend who is an architectural
photgrapher, Michael Wilkinson who have an airstream business named Nomad Mobile Motor Lodge. And they
had recently purchased property and a restaurant so that they could have their business there. So we went for
the Thanksgiving and the day after we went to Bandolier National Monument which isn’t too far away. It was one
of the first places that the Native Americans lived in the Cliffs and actually created architecture. The holes that are
in t cliffs are actually from the beams that they would bury in the sandstone and then create structures to live in.
They also had caves that were inside of the cliffs and they had started to create kivas.
friends’ little motel. We have a friend from architecture school Michael Vallen and a friend who is an architectural
photgrapher, Michael Wilkinson who have an airstream business named Nomad Mobile Motor Lodge. And they
had recently purchased property and a restaurant so that they could have their business there. So we went for
the Thanksgiving and the day after we went to Bandolier National Monument which isn’t too far away. It was one
of the first places that the Native Americans lived in the Cliffs and actually created architecture. The holes that are
in t cliffs are actually from the beams that they would bury in the sandstone and then create structures to live in.
They also had caves that were inside of the cliffs and they had started to create kivas.
 |
| Bandolier National Monument at the top of the cliff |
So, how does nature inspire me in architecture?
I think it is primarily the way that I see light and the absence of light. When we are in a building,
the light is already controlled for us by somebody else’s design. The windows are placed most
of the time, just so that there is light and ventilation in the room. When you are in nature, there
is no control of the light by architecture, though there might be architectural features that
manipulate the way that we see the light. Light filtering through the branches of a conifer and a
deciduous tree can be very different. If we are next to a cliff or in a cave, the light is being blocked
from us in a very architectural way. And so it is through experiencing these different ways that I
see light and the way that it can be blocked becomes a way that I can design spaces that imitate
the way that sunlight is in nature. When you are in nature, you are more aware of the way that the
sun travels across the sky and therefore are more aware of how hot or cold you are and how you
can control your environment.
the light is already controlled for us by somebody else’s design. The windows are placed most
of the time, just so that there is light and ventilation in the room. When you are in nature, there
is no control of the light by architecture, though there might be architectural features that
manipulate the way that we see the light. Light filtering through the branches of a conifer and a
deciduous tree can be very different. If we are next to a cliff or in a cave, the light is being blocked
from us in a very architectural way. And so it is through experiencing these different ways that I
see light and the way that it can be blocked becomes a way that I can design spaces that imitate
the way that sunlight is in nature. When you are in nature, you are more aware of the way that the
sun travels across the sky and therefore are more aware of how hot or cold you are and how you
can control your environment.
I am now offering sponsorship opportunities and I am grateful for that. Please contact me via my website below for more information.
If you want to read other architects unlikely inspirations, please follow the links below.
Lee Calisti, AIA - Think Architect (@LeeCalisti)
unlikely inspiration was there all along
unlikely inspiration was there all along
Lora Teagarden - L² Design, LLC (@L2DesignLLC)
Unlikely inspiration
Unlikely inspiration
Eric T. Faulkner - Rock Talk (@wishingrockhome)
Inspire -- A Clover
Inspire -- A Clover
Michele Grace Hottel - Michele Grace Hottel, Architect (@mghottel)
"unlikely inspiration"
"unlikely inspiration"
Jeffrey Pelletier - Board & Vellum (@boardandvellum)
Unlikely Inspiration: The Strange Journeys of the Creative Process
Unlikely Inspiration: The Strange Journeys of the Creative Process
Jim Mehaffey - Yeoman Architect (@jamesmehaffey)
Barndoors are for People Too
Barndoors are for People Too
Tim Ung - Journey of an Architect (@timothy_ung)
Inspired by Leather Working
Inspired by Leather Working
Mark Stephens - Mark Stephens Architects (@architectmark)
Unlikely Inspiration - Herbert Simms
Unlikely Inspiration - Herbert Simms
Steve Mouzon - The Original Green Blog (@stevemouzon)
A Most Unexpected Inspiration
A Most Unexpected Inspiration
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