Architecture – Raymond Smith

11 April 2024 In Architecture

Dwelling, House or Home?

Dwelling, House or Home? Written by Raymond SmithAPRIL 2024 What does it mean to dwell, what informs the shape and program of a house and what makes a home as opposed to just a place to seek shelter in? These are some of the questions on the topic of home which have received much contemplation in human history by poets, philosophers, designers, and architects alike. Let’s have a brief walk through this space,

12 April 2023 In Architecture

Some realities to observe in a building project: Cost, Risk and Value creation

An architectural project can be divided into two main phases: the design phase and the project coordination or construction phase. Each of these phases have their challenges and risks which requires mitigation.

28 November 2022 In Architecture

The difference between fast-food and poorly designed buildings

Architecture is a public art form with which we all have to live with for a long time and needs to balance elements such as scale, massing, proportions, solids, voids, materials, textures and light.

Veldhuis cranked-roof ridging detail (2015)

31 January 2022 In Architecture

God is in the detail

Veldhuis cranked-roof ridging detail (2015)' 'God is in the detail' by Raymond Smith, February 2022 A well-known axiom, quoted by both Friedrich Nietzsche – a 19th century German philosopher who had a profound influence on modern intellectual history – and the German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the last director of the prestigious Bauhaus School of Art, Design and Architecture in the 1930's and who is regarded as one of the pioneers

10 January 2022 In Architecture

Less is More now more than ever

"Less is More", the well-known quote by German-American architect Mies van der Rohe, has gained greater importance for reasons not part of his agenda during the modernist project, namely sustainability.

1 December 2021 In Architecture

Honesty of material

There is something comforting and soothing about the honest use of materials and feeling the texture of wood, glass or metal under your fingers. A sense of surety and truth is perceived when we connect with material.

15 November 2021 In Architecture

The significance of a well-designed quality home

A well-designed home's position on the stand allows for future additions, enjoys good connectivity with the garden and is constructed of quality materials and finishes that stands the test of time.

6 August 2021 In Architecture

Raymond Smith on Sustainable Architecture

What does "sustainable architecture" really mean? How does it translate practically in the build environment today? Raymond Smith explains in his video the different kinds of approaches and how various laws manages the impact of development on rural or natural resources.

Two main reasons people motivate for wanting to use containers in home design, is the 'speed of construction' and 'low cost'

14 June 2021 In Architecture

Is the use of shipping containers a good idea in house design?

Maybe the correlation between a quality environment and a sense of contentment explains why city dwellers choose the Betty's Bay coastline as their terra firma to hibernate in winter and make hay in summer. Kindred spirits are attracted to Betty's Bay where you will find no fences that divides nature and architecture.