Pemahaman Teori Dasar Konstruksi Bangunan Bertingkat Rendah

Pertemuan 3

Matakuliah : Konstruksi Bangunan IITahun : 2008/2009

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Elemen-elemen Konstruksi Bangunan Bertingkat Rendah: Split Level

Teori split level dan teknik penggambarannya

Kita akan menggunakan kata "Split Level" sebagai cara yang mudah untuk mencakup semua jenis rumah. Sedangkan Split Level adalah jenis tertentu, adalah sebuah istilah umum dan tentu lebih menarik daripada “divided entry“. Jadi untuk menghindari kebingungan, berikut adalah spesifik jenis desain rumah yang dianggap "Splits" untuk penjelasan ini ...

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Bi-level Two sets of short stairs, two levels. Entry between floors. The front door opens to a landing. One short flight of stairs leads up to the top floor; another short flight of stairs leads down. The top floor tends to be full height ceilings with living areas: LR (living room), DR (dining room), K (kitchen) and BRs (bedroom). Lower floor often has lower ceilings and is partially below ground.

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The Bi-Level Neighborhood...

It may have been called a "junior colonial" or perhaps a "colonial split." It may have been "modular," or "stick built" on site. Regardless of what you prefer to call it, if you open the front door to a dedicated landing halfway between two floors, you've stepped into a bi-level. Some bi-levels built today are luxurious monstrosities, but the majority are the smaller, 1000 to 1500 square foot models constructed during the 1970s and 1980s. And although the concepts that follow have some ramifications for the larger set, it is the owner of the 1300 sq. ft. average that this page is designed to help the most. We begin with the yard, then the exterior, and then discuss the interior.

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The Exterior, Also Landscaping & Hardscaping

Most people will say that the point of landscaping is to "beautify" your yard. It's one of the benefits, but not the prime reason for landscaping. The most basic, underlying reason for landscaping a home is to create a smooth transition from the outdoors to the indoors. Landscaping (growing stuff) and hardscaping (stuff like steps, decks, walkways) combine to create this transition. When it's done right, the transition is beautiful. Done wrong, it is unappealling at best.

Bi-levels built properly, compensating for the surrounding terrain, are relatively easy to landscape. Hopefully some part of the building is below grade, or at least the grade has been back-filled to cover a portion of the first floor. Ideally, the lower floor windows are at hip-level when viewed from the exterior.

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Unlike the "true" three-level split, the average 20 year-old bi-level seldom has intrinsic charm. Unfortunately the older bi-level tends to present a rather humdrum, boxy appearance that generally goes nowhere. While landscaping the three level split is mainly about enhancing the triangulation of the exterior, landscaping the bi-level is more frequently about drawing away from the exterior.

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This photo clearly shows the repetitive, unimaginative rectangular design that typifies the average American bi-level circa 1975. While there is very little that could help the exterior short of wholesale remodeling, a more effective use of landscaping will minimize the dullness.

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The challenge in a three-level split is to "tie down" the large picture window usually found on the middle level, to anchor the house more closely to the ground and surrounding environment. The bi-level exterior has a lot of the same requirements, except that it is much more complicated. By "tying" the largest top-floor window to the ground, your house blends more fluidly to the surrounding landscape. Unfortunately, most bi-levels tend to have windows below the main living room window, and it is almost criminal to cover those windows. Or is it...do they have to be completely visible? Can they be partially obscured to lend harmony to the exterior? Are they even attractive to begin with?

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In some cases -- very rarely -- the lower windows are positioned such that they should actually be accentuated. But this is usually not the case; the photo at left illustrates one of those rare homes where it does work. Notice that you are looking "up" at this house...if you look "down" from the street it is highly unlikely that the lower windows would have the same appeal. This clearly illustrates how fickle the bi-level exterior is, and how so much depends on the topography of the lot.

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Note that the bi-level at right is identical to the one above -- same windows, same type of terrain. It's the exact same house except that it is in a different location. Notice here that some landscaping has been used to make the bottom windows less prominent. Both approaches work well...it's really a matter of personal preference in this case.

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Prominent lower windows generally only work well when they are the same size as the upper windows, as shown by the two examples above. More commonly, bi-levels present a large picture window above two bottom floor windows. Note in the sketch below how the landscape planner uses varying heights to "draw down" the windows.

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Same drill for your walkway. (Now we're discussing hardscaping) A few bi-levels have a doorway right at ground level, but the majority of divided entry houses have some sort of front stoop and/or staircase leading up to the front door. On many older splits these are hideous concrete creations. Brick or wood look more appealing, but don't rush out with a sledgehammer if you have concrete. You can often revitalize the look of concrete by adding slate to the top, bricks on the sides, even using concrete stain, etc. But whatever your walkway, it is terribly important to "connect" it to the surroundings just as your picture window needs to be connected.

The walkway and front stoop are the "transition" from the world outdoors to the world indoors. It should be a smooth transition, softened by plantings, gardens, or whatever...not a harsh, sudden change. Even stones can do the trick.

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If you need an example, take a look at the one or two bi-levels in your neighborhood that have the most curb appeal, and you'll see these concepts first hand. Another resource I recommend is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Landscaping by Joel Lerner. I don't usually care for the titles of these "Idiot" books; in fact I don't like them at all. But the content of this book really clarifies a lot of landscaping techniques. (If you click the link, you'll be at Amazon.com, which I recommend for two reasons. First, you can return anything, and they ask no questions. Secondly, you can often find used versions at a fraction of the new book price, and you can even return those if the book doesn't do it for you.)

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Here's a bi-level that really does it right. The roofline is unusual -- at first glance it even makes the house look like a split. Most importantly, it eliminates the "boxiness" typical to most old bi-levels. Second thing is the landscaping. It is creative, varied, but not overdone. Finally, it is clean and cared for. There is nothing otherwise spectacular or outstanding about this exterior, it is not showy or new, yet you cannot help but be captivated by the overall appeal this home presents.