EXPOSED STRUCTURE

The classic modern home is known for its lack of decorative touches: the absence of crown moldings at the ceiling, the elimination of elaborate trim around windows or doors, and so on. This is not to say that those who design modern houses are uninterested in making things pleasing to the eye. bar from it. They recognize (hat the most beautiful aspect of the modern home may be the structure itself. The structure, when well designed and well executed, can be breathtaking. The interior is often designed so that the construction is exposed rather than concealed within the layers of the walls or hidden above the ceilings. Exposed structural parts such as beams and posts do not have decorative classical details added to them or carved into them, but they are detailed to be attractive to look at and to add character to the entire interior. The modernist is often obsessed with the way the house is put together. After all, the origins of modernism lie in new construction technologies such as reinforced concrete, steel beams, and structural glass. The classic modernist is known for employing a universal approach to construction, whether the construction of a house or the construction of an airplane hanger.

Modernists, however, have become less dogmatic over the years, and there is now considerable diversity in the approaches they take. The architects whose work is presented here share a passion for beautiful and innovative construction, but they employ much humbler materials, such as wood and masonry. For most of their houses, they use methods of building that any skillful carpenter can execute. The results, though far less industrial than those associated with orthodox modernists, are no less impressive and are more suitable to the creation of comfortable homes in the countryside. Visible structure may be as rough-hewn as logs or it may be smooth and regular. It may consist almost entirely of wood, or it may use metal or other materials. The exposed structure not only adds drama to the interiors, but also helps establish the character of the home or express the nature of the surrounding landscape.