Architecture Appreciation

For better or for worse, every time I step foot in Berkeley, something’s different: in a constant state of change and fluctuation. There’s so many of these houses scheduled to be demolished or completely moved to a different spot. It’s in the Bay Ar…

For better or for worse, every time I step foot in Berkeley, something’s different: in a constant state of change and fluctuation. There’s so many of these houses scheduled to be demolished or completely moved to a different spot. It’s in the Bay Area that I learned you can buy (or get for free!) an old house without the land or any utilities, just the structure and whatever’s inside. It gets me thinking about what it even means to own a home. In these areas where property values are so high, is the house even worth anything in comparison to the land? I’m not just talking logistically whether the house itself actually has any monetary value, but I question how we value ‘home’. Home is a state of mind that’s developed in our earliest memories from childhood - composed of the house, the land, the neighborhood, the neighbors, the weather, routes to and from. It’s interesting to imagine what happens if the house is lifted up on a truck and moved down the street, to the other end of town, or across the country even. How does the perception of home change when the structure and nature of the house is the same, but everything else is different? I guess all houses are mobile homes.

Southwest Berkeley, CA

#berkeley #residentialarchitecture #architecture #strolling #architectureappreciation