Joy

1. I definitely think that his use of materials is convincing. He, despite his protest, is known as the rammed earth guy for a reason. He uses a fairly primitive building material and technique in a way that seamlessly ties his building into its surroundings by physically using it to build. While his use of materials is convincing, the forms are what make them truly special. In his Rammed Earth House, you can see right away that the house is designed to facilitate views into the desert. I think his dedication to modernism is a part of this; he does not distract the viewer with an overly ornate building, or try to use gimmicky methods of bringing the desert into the house.

2. No, I do not think that the characteristics of his buildings are compromised by doing a good job with the basics first. I think that Joy takes a lot of inspiration from the perfection of nature, and instead of fighting it designs with it, and that creates a kind of harmony in experiencing his buildings. Being in his building you feel, forgive me for being a little cheesy here, but you feel that you are one with the desert. The space you are inhabiting is dictated by the desert (solar orientation, thermal masses, views out) and it only makes the experience more pleasant, because in being in that space you feel that you are part of the desert in more than just a physical .

-Talisa