Modern architecture

I go back and forth between traditional architecture and the more modern. Who can argue with classic Victorian- and Edwardian-style buildings? I'd love to have one of those designs. My own home was built slightly after the Edwardian period, and it is, well, basically crap. It's a styleless structure hurriedly thrown together for a working family, and the exterior has been made worse with aluminum siding. Its only redeeming quality is the back of the house, with its striking angled additions created over the years. That, and the fantastic privacy for sunbathing in the heart of the city.

(Oh, and the single-digit temperatures today bring me to offer this advice: If you're thinking about building a new house, make sure all plumbing is built within interior walls. In my house the upstairs plumbing is within an exterior wall. Yesterday (and once or twice in most other winters) the pipes freeze because of the proximity to the cold exterior. If I had enough money, I'd sell this house and buy one that wasn't so stupidly built.)

But back to the subject at hand. I also like today's architecture, with its clean lines and sense of proportion. Modern structures are airier, with fewer abrupt interior walls. Huge panes of glass help blend the building to the landscape. The same glass walls furnish the sun, views and vegetation that makes indoor living enjoyable. On the other hand, glassy walls usually mean less insulation from the cold and the heat. Moreover, it takes an especially talented architect to sandwich new homes into a close-in urban setting. Still, I favor today's architecture just as much as I do the traditional. 

So I offer some examples of today's architecture that appeal to me. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Then again, so do traditional designs.

This beach home has sharp, clean lines with an superb view of the sea. And an entrance from a wooden  boardwalk. I love wooden board walks! I even built one in my backyard to remind me of Provincetown. The major downside for the East and Gulf coasts: hurricanes.

I love how the rooms spill out onto the outdoors.

Wow! A huge boardwalk for sunbathing and ornamental grasses to soften the strong lines. If the price were right, I'd buy it.

A great view, and privacy from the evergreens. Very nice indeed. According to the caption accompanying the photo, the home is East of Market in San Francisco. That's incredible!

This is a great entryway. The only drawback: One would have to keep one's clothes handy in case someone rings the doorbell.

A wonderful house in Switzerland, perched on a mountainside. It gives the impression of living in the clouds.

A little house on the prairie. Lots of concrete; indoors the concrete is clad with walls of insulation. Adequate windows, plus a balcony. But a long drive home.

A nice adaptation to an older urban house in Sweden. Plenty of light and a balcony to boot.

The diagonal roofline is eased by the gently curving stone wall and masonry sidewalk.

An urban home with plenty of windows and a private balcony. I like the way the gray plays against the neighbor's yellow.

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