It’s in the details

08.2014Design, Ideas, Places

By Dina F. Snider, AIA, LEED AP BD+C

I recently went on a summer vacation with my family and enjoyed using my time to appreciate the art of details in architecture. Sometimes it takes removing us from our typical environment to make everyday details become more visible to us. Hotel architecture sometimes takes this to the extreme with custom light fixtures shaped like seashells and railings replicating serpents.

Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas

The smaller scale details are as essential in creating a place as the walls that encompass the place. The curve of a door handle that fits smoothly into your hand, the dovetail joints of a chair, and the custom room number at the hotel door that reminds you of the unique building you are in, are critical elements in creating an impressionable story for the user.

One of the things I love about Pittsburgh, and thus makes returning from a vacation easier, is that these kinds of details can be found throughout the city. The designers of our numerous historic buildings were fond of incorporating well-crafted details, some with a twist of humor.

As a designer, I strive to create places where people can experience the place from the large to the small-scale details. The user may not be able to identify why they liked the space but simply that it was a memorable place to be.