Rick Joy
Do you think his use of material and building form are convincing?
For me Rick Joy’s desert architecture is magnificent. I studied some of his works in my initial year at the University of New Mexico and I felt in love with his architecture since then. Even if you do not know what is it, the building just seems to fit in its surroundings somehow. His expression through material is exquisite. His architecture is much more that simply form. The patterns and textures he uses in his walls make the spaces seem so habitable. I truly think that his building form is by itself very convincing. I was surprised to see his work in the house in Vermont, as I didn’t know it existed. But I think that he accomplishes the same as he does with his houses in Arizona. The use of stone serves in this house the same purpose as rammed earth does in his desert works: to give his architecture a vernacular quality. Again, in the same way as his work in Arizona, this house seems to fit perfectly with its surroundings. He manages to mix this with “modern” elements more that anything in the house’s interior, where the use of wood makes it again very hospitable.
Do you think the experimental characteristic of his projects is in anyway compromised by his fundamental basis?
I don’t think that his projects are compromised by anything. If anything, the use of fundamental forms and shapes makes his architecture much better. He accomplished complexity with the use of materials instead of with forms, and I think he is very successful at it. At the same time, his basic shapes make his architecture very understandable and accessible. In the house in Vermont, initially I felt that the gable roof was an overstatement. The vernacular shape of the house seemed to be too boring really. Nevertheless, as I understood the project better I believe that he was actually very successful in the overall project. The gable rooms gives the house a relation to its surroundings and gives a great opportunity for the interior to be developed in the way he did.