Beyond live/Work

By Frances Hollis

Frances Holliss is an architect and a lecturer at London Metropolitan University, School of Architecture. Her research encompasses home-work based houses. She has published several books in home work based.

This text explores the building type that combines work with living. Despite it existing for hundreds of years, the author analyses how it has been dismissed for years. The Author analyses several houses overtime in the UK and US with very different social backgrounds and occupations.

It explores two approaches one based on how the building can unite both functions and the other is about versatile design that will work on any purpose. The author gives us a walk through the history of studio houses from the creation to what it is nowadays.

The studio house provides artists with a way to introduce themselves to the art world and a way to impress their clients. Many Architects designed houses for their own use. Architects such as Frederick Wheeler in 1890 intended for bachelor artists, and he planned an area for servants rather than for a family.

One of the examples that stroked me the most was Frank Lloyd house in Chicago, that eventually became his studio as well. Having experienced this house myself, I can attest how perfectly it was designed how ‘business and pleasure’ was carefully planned. It was a family house but at the same time a prestigious studio. He created a playroom with several hidden entrances for his kids. Everyone in this house had their own space, and the studio has its independent entrance.

Source: Personal Archives

Entrance to the studio

The Studio House Typologies

The studio house encompasses a specific design to fulfilled that requirements of their owners that are predominately artists and architects. Most of these buildings have in common:

• -Double height in working spaces and serves the two functions both to live and work.

• -Large elevations and windows

• -Helped to promote their work

• -Separate entrances for public and family

• -Depending on the artist, some lived alone while other with family or other artists.

Different Workhome user-group typology are Family care-givers, Professional and managerial, 24/7 artist, Craftworkers, Top-up, Live-in and Start-ups

The author analyses the home-based work in different social and cultural scenarios. The author explores countries such as the US, the UK and Japan. Japan where this typology is wildly accepted and embraced. In contrast to the US and UK that the bureaucracies and town planners don’t receive these typologies in term of taxes and land ownership.

Nowadays, most of today's iconic buildings were initially designed as workhouses and later redesigned as large luxury houses, and they are displayed in architectural magazines.

Questions:

1. -If you live in the University campus, are you home working such as Frank Lloyd Wright’ Taliesin?

2. -Is it possible to generalise culturally similar home -work designs?