Learning by Making – Maybeck's Mistake House

It’s rare that architects are able to experiment with architecture. It involves risk and the unknown, not anything a building should embrace. To do this usually means an architect needs to put skin in the game to realize their aspirations. In this evolving series, we will look at projects that try, and sometimes fail, to expand the boundaries of design for our cultural benefit.

June 16^th, 1931

Bernard Maybeck climbs on top of what appears to be a thatched roof, actually made of sprayed cement, with a pail of chemicals and a paintbrush. The solutions he carries have been mixed by the chemistry teacher from Principia College, where this experiment in architecture is taking place. Maybeck surveys the roof and daubs the wash in appropriate places, aging the appearance.

Maybeck conceives this project as the Sample House, but the workers refer to it as the Mistake House and now so does everyone. Its purpose is to test all construction techniques before applying them to the rest of the campus. Maybeck has been highly experimental with his detailing in a great effort to make the building appear time-worn. Mortar is scraped deeply or left oozing out in places to compare effect; acid washes etch surfaces and oxidized stains accentuate detail to act out Maybeck’s painterly vision. Simply, it is a proving ground for materials and processes and serves as a reference for the nuanced construction techniques while he is off site.  

There is a serious philosophical underpinning to Maybeck’s rustic experimentation. He hints in writing to his assistant Edward Hussey, “We are to make a College City of homey homes instead of stereotyped jails from which to turn out individuals instead of automatons…” (Robert M. Craig, Bernard Maybeck at Principia College (Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith, 2004), 444).

Fundamentally, Maybeck understands a tenant of democracy to be the acceptance of individuality. He also believes that architecture can impart morality to inhabitants. These two ideas converge with his idiosyncratic detailing, a reminder of his upbringing in the Arts and Crafts movement. A campus, full of impressionable minds, is critically important to Maybeck. The Mistake House materializes a dense aspiration for teaching through architecture.

Further Reading:

"The Mistake House" by Michael Imber
http://michaelgimberblog.com/2015/12/11/the-mistake-house/

SFA News - Dan Silberman Joins Spillman Farmer

We are feeling rejuvenated and excited for 2015 with the exciting news that Spillman Farmer’s former intern (and recent Philadelphia University graduate) Dan Silberman, will be joining us full time! Among Dan’s many accomplishments is his first–place win in the 113th John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture competition.

John Stewardson was a prominent Pennsylvania architect who is credited with the English Gothic Revival, an architectural style that inspired many of his firm’s (Cope & Stewardson) collegiate buildings. The Stewardson Memorial Fellowship competition, founded in John’s honor, is the most prestigious competition for students in the state of Pennsylvania. To be eligible, undergraduate students must be in their final year pursuing a degree in architecture from an accredited school of architecture in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Each year’s Stewardson participants are tasked with developing a complete solution to a particular design challenge within a rigorous 10-day time frame. The challenge in the 2014 competition was to develop a design involving mixed-use residential, commercial and arts facilities that would foster a sense of community within Philadelphia’s Francisville neighborhood.

Dan Silberman's design, Canvas, was selected as the winner of the John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship competition.

Dan’s design, “Canvas,” created an identity for the neighborhood through a bold storefront, whose modular façade-panel system could display community-based artwork, films, or news. 

Rendering from the Canvas submission, looking NW on Ridge Avenue

“Ridge Avenue, once a busy commercial corridor is now basically a small highway that connects the surrounding suburbs to the city,” Dan said. “My submission was designed to take advantage of the corridor’s potential for public communication by creating an opportunity to broadcast information about the neighborhood, the artists within the district and the new shops to those pass by every day without knowing the potential value and significance of the neighborhood.” 

Rendering from the Canvas submission, depicting the studio and upper residences of the site

Dan’s design also included a shared plaza and garage, and residences on the upper levels of the mixed-use complex.

In their written comments, the competition’s 2014 jury praised Dan’s design for the way it blurred the existing facades with layers of new construction, making it nearly impossible to distinguish old from new. The jury members said that Dan’s design would bring new life to the site and encourage a diverse and vibrant lifestyle within the neighborhood.  

Dan’s first-place win earned him a $10,000 scholarship to study architecture abroad. During his travels, Dan visited many of our favorites, including many works from Peter Zumthor and Carlo Scarpa. We had the opportunity to watch Dan grow over the years – as a student and an intern. He is a thoughtful and mature designer, who is well-suited for the rigors of Spillman Farmer. We’re excited to hear more about Dan’s travels (and hopefully read about them in upcoming blogs!) once he settles in – and we’re also looking forward to seeing how his experience abroad will inform his thinking and design.

SFA News - SteelStacks Wins Global Award of Excellence

We are excited to announce that Urban Land Institute (ULI) has selected the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus as a recipient of their 2014 Global Awards for Excellence.  

(credit Paul Warchol Photography Inc.)

The SteelStacks campus is a 10-acre campus dedicated to promoting arts and culture in Bethlehem, PA. The SteelStacks campus recently won a Willard G. “Bill” Rouse Award for Excellence from ULI’s Philadelphia chapter, and was named a finalist for the Global Awards in June of this year along with 23 other projects worldwide. The campus includes developments such as Levitt Pavilion, the ArtsQuest Center, the Visitor's Center, and PBS39.

Spillman Farmer’s work designing the ArtsQuest Center is not only an integral piece of the SteelStacks campus, but also a key component in the revitalization of the abandoned Bethlehem Steel property. The ArtsQuest Center has achieved much success since its completion in 2009, receiving accolades such as a Silver Medal from the American Institute of Architects’ Pennsylvania Chapter, an A+ Award in Architecture and Urban Transformation from Architizer, and recognition as a Top 5 Cultural Building of the Year by ArchDaily.

(credit Paul S. Bartholomew Photography)

In total, 13 projects from around the world were recognized as recipients of the 2014 Global Awards for Excellence, six of which are located in North America. SteelStacks is the only North American project located on the East Coast. According to the ULI website, each of the winning projects exemplifies a “high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management.”

The Urban Land Institute is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 32,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. Head over to ULI’s website to see the full list of winners.

More information:
Urban Land Institute

SteelStacks Campus Buildings:
ArtsQuest Center, Spillman Farmer Architects
Levitt Pavilion, Wallace Roberts and Todd
PBS 39, URS
Bethlehem Visitor's Center, Legacy Architecture & USA Architects

The SteelStacks Team:
Spillman Farmer Architects
Wallace Roberts and Todd
URS
Legacy Architecture
USA Architects
Artefact
L'Observetoir
Boyle Construction
Alvin H. Butz, Inc.
Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority