Design
Design Tips for Upper-Level Oriels
Architect Katie Hutchison takes us on a tour of some signature oriel bay windows.
Join architect Katie Hutchison on a tour of some upper-level oriels like the ones she describes in her Drawing Board column, “Taking Oriels to a New Level” in Fine Homebuilding #221. Think of an oriel as a window bay that doesn’t have a foundation. In this gem from the Fine Homebuilding Video Vault, we’ll look at oriels that announce entryways, create stair landings, and double as dormers, along with a bonus type. We’ll also meet other architects designing upper-level oriels, and hear from a builder about installing one, too.
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I could tell from the outside of the buildings that most of the Oriels shown were to "fix" Architectural mistakes in design. As a Designer/drafter of 25 years that has to "clean up" Architect structural and design fubars, I run into this a lot. It's really funny how you see things like this turned into a feature in a design. I like to call them Inspirational Design Modifications. You are "inspired" to do something to fix it so that the home owner thinks they really wanted something like this instead of what they asked for.
An oriel stands out and so not every oriel is going to look good to every viewer. I really liked the triangular one. I think it would look even better if that wall wasn't just flat plywood with those odd lines in it.
To Blue_Rocco: Those Inspirational Design Modifications (good term) are a way of life for everyone who does anything in the real world. Builders and architects, engineers (of every kind!), farmers, tug boat pilots, cooks, you name it. It's what makes boring jobs interesting for people with a creative mentality. Necessity is the mother of invention.