Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 633, February 18, 1888
Various
Science -- Periodicals
The last thing is to emphasize the door, as the principal opening in the
walls, and quite distinct in use and meaning from the other openings, by
giving it a little architectural frame or setting, which may be done in
many ways, but in this case is done by the old fashioned device (not
very logical certainly) of putting a little entablature over it, and a
column on either side; there is, however, this to be said for it, that
the projecting tablature forms a semi-porch, protecting those at the
door somewhat from rain; it must be carried in some way, and columns are
the readiest and most seemly manner of doing it, and they also form,
practically, something of a weather screen; the bases on which they
stand also form a framework or inclosing wall for the steps, which are
thus made part of the architectural design, instead of standing out as
an eyesore, as on Fig. 10. We have now given the house a little general
expression, but it still is vague in its design as far as regards the
distribution of the interior; we do not know whether the first floor,
for instance, is one large room, or two or more rooms, or how they are
divided; and the little house is very square and prim in effect.
Let us try grouping the windows a little, and at the same time breaking
up the flat surface of the front wall (Fig. 12). Here, as before, we
have divided the building by a horizontal string, but only by one main
one on the first floor level, keeping the same contrast, however,
between a richer portion above and a plainer portion below; we have
divided the building vertically, also, by two projecting bays finishing
in gables, thus breaking also the skyline of the roof, and giving it a
little picturesqueness, and we have grouped the windows, instead of
leaving them as so many holes in the wall at equal distances. The
contrast between the ground and first floor windows is more emphatic;
and it is now the more evident that the upper floor rooms are the best
apartments, from their ample windows; it is also pretty evident that the
first floor is divided into two main rooms with large bay windows, and a
smaller room or a staircase window, between them; the second floor
windows are also shifted up higher, the two principal ones going in to
the gables, showing that the rooms below them have been raised in
height. Windows carried up the full height of these rooms, however,
might be too large either for repose internally or for appearance
externally, so the wall intervening between the top of these and the
sill of the gables is a good field for some decorative treatment,
confined to the bays, so as to assist in separating them from the
straight wall which forms the background to them.
[Illustration: Fig. 12]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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