ARCHITECTURAL SLIGEST, PART I

Highlights from a recent tour of virtual architecture with Chip Poutine. Background here.

THE PLACE: Oslo, at the home of Zed Aubret.

Zed Aubret: There was a feature in Chicago magazine on this house that was built in Wisconsin... I loved it and so I copied it. No blueprints or anything, just [from] photos.

Chip Poutine: It's Doug Garafolo.

Hamlet Linden: So Chip, what inspired you select this one as a "Second Life trend house"?

CP: A couple of reasons. In the sense that SL is a reflection of RL trends this one is very much reflective of contemporary design in real life. That said, a modern house like this one is very few and far between here in Second Life (just as in RL) but the fact that it is on a private, zoned sim also seemed to reflect a residential trend that is now making its way from the private sims to the mainland... Zed chose it because it is free of the casinos and various other cruft to be found on the mainland. And now it would appear that in sims like Blumfeld and Boardman that they are trying to reproduce the private sim model. [Blumfeld is a Linden Lab-sponsored planned suburb.]

I really like the way this house takes advantage of the views. It has clearly been influenced by the site. How many prefabs or Victorian style mansions could properly take advantage of this site and view? It just wouldn't go with the "style".

I was thinking about about what 'trend' means exactly... thinking from a real estate perspective it probably refers to prevalence-- reflecting the status quo. [smiles] If that's the case, then this house isn't it, thankfully.

HL: Then what is the trend, real estate wise?

CP: Well, it seems to be small/first land parcels on the mainland sims, big lots on the private sims, and Victorian/craftsman/Spanish-style homes everywhere. And the "low prim beachouse" everywhere. Even snow sims. Argh. I've seen them everywhere, and I've seen a snow cabin prefab in pastoral sims. Anything goes, for the most part; regard for context seems to be of lesser concern.

HL: Zed, do you have a design background in real life if I may ask?

ZA: Not particularly, I come from creative background, but in film, some graphic, Web. It's really been my dream to build houses. Since I was a kid I filled notebooks of designs...but when it came to study and career, it was not my thing.

HL: And here we are.

Zed Aubret laughs.