A Place Between: Japanese and Italian Architecture Inspire This Virginia Home

Personal Perspective
CRAIG DUBOSE, BUILDER

Clearly, carpentry and philosophy can merge, and a hammer can become an instrument of philosophy capable of transforming and expressing revolutionary ideas. After many years of developing and honing my carpentry skills and gaining extensive knowledge of construction, the Ewing/Hays home provided an incredible opportunity to connect the philosophical and practical aspects of building a house.

In his preface to Sustainable Architecture White Papers (Earth Pledge Foundation, 2003), Paul Hawken asserts, “Sustainable architecture is foremost about reimagining the relationship between human beings and living systems. The most powerful expression of this relationship is our built environment.”

If this is true, then the role of the builder, as well as the designer, takes on a fundamental moral importance in redefining our connection to the natural world, to the community, and ultimately to the planet that we all share. What began as an exciting professional challenge became not only a test of my ability to solve specific construction problems but also an opportunity to examine the essential nature of what I do, while gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to build a house.

Once in a while I join Chris and Allison and their children, Emily and Christopher, for dinner in a room that they conceived and I helped build. As I sit at the table, my thoughts momentarily drift away to the sweaty afternoon when we erected these very same walls, or of other meals taken from a lunch pail on a stack of plywood in this very same room. I think of the resinous smell of freshly cut heart pine, the ping of hammer meeting nail, or the sight of the massive roof beams floating high overhead from the cable of a crane. Then the aroma of baking chicken and the laughter of children bring me back.

Two cats stalk each other through a forest of furniture legs as the last intense rays of the fading summer sun, sliced into geometric shadows by the window louvers, reach deep into the living room. Around the pond the frogs begin an evening chorale as dusk settles and we move from the table to the pleasant air on the porch.

Reimagining the built environment and building the reimagined environment demand that we keep the importance of these small things clearly in mind. Sitting in the darkness, I reflect on the part I was fortunate enough to have played in building this amazing place. I sense the deep satisfaction of having participated in a powerfully creative process and of bringing worthy ideas to life.