Here is the preservation and rehabilitation of the historic manor house at Greenwood Mill

David NAILL studied and fabricated all of the standardized elements of the Japanese house to create a realistic representation of its whole archetypal form. Based on Heinrich Engel’s publication of ‘The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture’ in 1964, this “pedagogical exploration of the history of architectural tectonics” was completed for Kenneth Frampton’s class Studies in Tectonic Culture at Columbia University.

“In a certain sense I still believe that building buildings is a craft operation. Despite the fact that you can rationalize it. Somehow this reminds me of the fact that up until 1968, students entering the architecture school at the Royal Danish Academy of the Arts in Copenhagen had to do a one-year apprenticeship as a carpenter. The student revolt of ’68 got rid of all of that, but I still think that the act of drawing and the act of making a model is in the last analysis a kind of micro-craft experience. It’s not directly applicable, but it gives you a certain respect for the making of anything with your hands as opposed to a distanced intervention via a machine. I’m teaching respect, respect for what people have made and why they have made it in a particular way.” Kenneth Frampton

An existing woodshed, dilapidated beyond repair, was demolished and replaced. The original cornerstones of erratic granite were upgraded with salvaged concrete block and a new structural sawn lumber frame was fabricated and erected with homage to the original hewn frame. Horizontal purlins infill the structure and support new cladding of vertical wood boards to keep firewood dry during the long cold winter. An austere facade, with taut windows accented by white painted wood trim, holds its place among the farm buildings in the landscape.