Beaufort 3 Century New Freedman's Cottage

"What if every simple act of design and construction made the world a better place?"

"WHAT IF EVERY INTERVENTION RESULTED IN GREATER BIODIVERSITY; INCREASED SOIL HEALTH; ADDITIONAL OUTLETS FOR BEAUTY AND PERSONAL EXPRESSIONS; A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF CLIMATE, CULTURE, AND PLACE; A REALIGNMENT OF OUR FOOD AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS; AND A MORE PROFOUND SENSE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CITIZEN OF A PLANET WHERE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE PROVIDED FAIRLY AND EQUITABLY?"

THIS IS THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE. WE ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTURE FORM OF BEAUFORT TO HONOR THE UNIQUE CULTURAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE OF THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT AND TO PROTECT THE NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT. THE 560 SQUARE FOOT "FREEDMEN" COTTAGE IS BASED ON THE CIRCA 1850'S FREEDMEN COTTAGES FOUND IN THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT. THESE WERE THE HOUSES OF THE NEWLY FREED AFRICAN AMERICANS AND NOW IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WE WILL BE FREE FROM THE GRID OF POWER, WATER, AND THE AUTOMOBILE. EACH HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WILL GENERATE AROUND 4000KwH PER YEAR IN ELECTRICITY THROUGH PHOTOVOLTAICS AND WIND TURBINES, WHILE CONSUMING AROUND 2000 KwH PER YEAR; SELLING THE REMAINING ENERGY BACK TO THE POWER COMPANY. EACH HOUSE WILL COLLECT RAINWATER FROM THE ROOF TO TREAT AND USE AS POTABLE WATER IN THE HOUSE. GRAYWATER AND CONDENSATION FROM THE HEAT PUMP WILL BE COLLECTED AND STORED IN A SEPARATE CISTERN AND USED FOR IRRIGATION IN THE COMMUNITY GARDENS. THE PROCESSES, MATERIALS, AND PRODUCTS PRESENTED IN THIS PROJECT ARE AVAILABLE TODAY. AS ENERGY AND WATER FEES INCREASE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES THEY WILL BECOME AFFORDABLE.

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We haven't built a physical model since we started with Revit three years ago. It is much faster to build a model in Revit than by hand! For more infomation on the Beaufort 3 Century Project http://www.beaufortthreecentury.org/ Please visit the exhibition at the Verdier House Mondays - Saturdays 10 am until 4 pm (it's free) and vote on the people's choice!

"I" House or Plantation Plain Style

A typical southern house was the "I" house, named because of the tall narrow profile. This house was two stories with a simple gable roof and a shed roofed one story porch in front and a shed roofed addition on the rear. Typically, there were masonry chimneys on each end of the house. This simple house was one room deep which maximized the amount of light and cross ventilation. It had high ceilings which allowed the heat to rise and provided a more comfortable environment. The one story porch allowed the second floor sleeping rooms to have ventilation on three sides. Occasionally there would be a double porch on the front. Kitchens were usually in a separate building behind the house; this kept the heat from the fireplace out of the main house and also protected the main house in the event of a kitchen fire.

There are a number of "I" houses to be found in Beaufort and the surrounding counties. The challenge with the "I" house is incorporating the necessities of modern day living, such as kitchens, bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms. We recently worked on an "I" house in Beaufort that has an important provenance.

In 1839, Robert Smalls was born a slave on this property. In the civil was he became a U.S. Army captain. He went on to serve in the SC House of Representative, SC Senate and was a United States Congressman for 5 terms. After the civil war, Robert Smalls purchased this and adjacent properties. It is believed that this circa 1855 house was moved to the property as part of the Smalls estate.

The original house was two rooms over two; it appears that a one story wing was added when the house was moved. The double front porches were removed many years ago and replaced with a small stoop. Typical of historic houses, there was only one inadequate bathroom and virtually no closets.

Robert Smalls is an important historical figure in South Carolina, so it was critical to respect the integrity of the house while providing the basic necessities in bathrooms and storage. We added a small L‐shaped second floor addition to house two new bathrooms, master bedroom closet and a small third bedroom. The addition backs up to the existing chimney and we left it exposed in the bathroom. We enclosed an existing small porch to create a breakfast room with a new porch beyond.


In restoring the double front porches, the house now looks like the typical Beaufort house that it is instead of some foreign transplant. The clients desire for a screened porch was met with a free standing enclosure that respects the scale of the historic home and encloses a courtyard on the south of the house.

Chimney Backsplash?

This is a new bathroom in the house in the previous posting. This was originally an outside wall. When we designed the addition we incorporated the backside of the chimney into the lavatory design.

Renovation Project

This is a sweet renovation and addition project in "The Point" neighborhood in Beaufort. The original front porch had been removed so we added it back with a new comfy porch swing.

Trey Trahan's Louisiana State Museum

Trey Trahan's design for the new Louisiana State Museum is causing quite an uproar in Natchitoches. Many citizen feel that the contemporary design is inappropriate for a historic district. The refrain is similar to what is heard from many here in the Lowcountry about new buildings in our historic districts. Here is a link to a recent article in the Natchitoches Times describing both the design and the review board's concerns. http://tinyurl.com/lv76jy

David Cronrath, Dean of the School of Art and Design at LSU, eloquently explains in the following essay why we should not "slavishly reproduce the past" in buildings built today.

I fear Louisianans are increasingly uncomfortable with the future. The recent concern over Trey Trahan's design for the new Louisiana State Museum in downtown Natchitoches reflects this fear of change and innovation that is incongruous with our proud past.

There was a time when Louisianans had confidence in the future and made an imprint of their optimism on the landscape. They creatively adapted traditional ways of building to a strange land with a harsh climate. They utilized the technology at their disposal. They improvised with materials. The buildings these Louisianans built did not look like their European predecessors. By Old World standards they were crude, ungainly, stumpy, and strange – you can be sure some said they were just plain ugly. But today we admire these buildings for their ingenuity and the identity they defined.

What we can learn from our architectural past is that great buildings are not defined by style. Style is the classification of particular forms and shapes. By its very nature style is a formal classification. It never attempts to reveal content or origins. Reproducing a past style of architecture during a period of societal transformation is to reduce cultural processes to stale imitation.

Significant buildings are reflections of their culture – ideals, mores and aspirations. Vibrant and productive cultures change, adapt and transform the way they organize the environment they inhabit. Consequently, dynamic cultures invent new forms and spaces to reflect the future they desire. Only cultures that have ceased to be vital reproduce what they did in the past. Cultural innovation and change are the hallmarks of healthy and robust societies … just like our ancestors.

Given this situation how are we to judge a successful building, especially in an historical context like downtown Natchitoches? The answer is surprisingly simple. Respect the scale of the surrounding buildings, develop a design that is integrated with its context, utilize the latest building technologies, and develop a plan that is respectful of the changing function of our institutions. Strangely, European societies understand these precepts far better than we do. Perhaps because they are centuries older and long understood that vibrant societies must change to new circumstances or become obsolete. Europeans are not disturbed by a medieval structure next to the Baroque, or a Renaissance palace cheek to jowl with a modern building. For them it is not an issue of style or imitation.

When I review the design for the New Louisiana State Museum in Natchitoches by Trey Trahan I find a thoughtful design that matches the principles outlined above. It is respectful of scale, context and technology. Does it look like a reproduction of historical Louisiana buildings? Certainly not and it shouldn’t. To slavishly reproduce the past would tell future generations that we have given up hope for a vital Louisianan culture. It would also be disrespectful of a rich cultural heritage. We demonstrate our respect and love for the historical by preserving it whenever possible and avoiding building deprecating imposters. We should have enough faith in our time to not belittle the past.