I have to identify what the problems are. In this plan [sitting on the desk before me] there are a lot of challenges…they are not so much problems as they are all moving parts. They each have a set of rules that guide how the game [of design] is played - so there are a lot of little “games.” The game of how you bring your cars in [into your home], the game of how people arrive at the front of your house and what they see as they come in. The rules of that game are turning radii, the distance to the front door, how much space it takes to park. . . how big is the Mercedes, how big is the Porsche? If a UPS truck came into here would it be able to make the turn? How many cars can you fit in here for entertaining? For parking and for entry there are different rules.
For the private living area of the house - I call it the overriding geometry of the space. What is the most important thing to the client? Is it the views to the lighthouse, or is it the views to the water? Does the prevalence of the Southwest wind over ride that? You have to work to put your different pieces into priority as you sort this out and understand all of the connections between the pieces. . . swimming in the pool, where do people sit? For me, I feel very strongly that someone should sit facing south or west, looking over the water or to the view or to the sun so that the seating should always be on the North or Northeast section of the pool; or on the East.
