If you have read this section of the site in the past, you will notice that SPEK’s focus has changed. Previously we espoused the virtues of trying to save and accentuate mid-century modern details at great cost, believing they were somehow inherently valuable for something they represented about American history. We have begun to question the value.

Aesthetically, of course, who can resist Eichler homes, the International style, and the various facets of architectural work from the 50’s? Certainly if you live in Austin with us, houses from this period can be catchy with their Jetson’s-like whimsy and retro-appeal. When you live in Windsor Park it is easy to imagine Sinatra in the air as you drive by the certain peculiar angles, quirky brick and stonework, and the optimisticly lithe carports. We admit we still drool over these details, and how they enable us to retreat from the reality of the moment, both aesthetically and politically. A perfectly honed remodel of a 1950’s swanky house is always noteworthy. However, in the midst of several current local trends, the idea of evangelizing, immitating, and restoring the past now seems suspect.

In Austin we have a very disappointing McMansion Ordinance, which instead of opening new doors for better design on a more sustainable scale, has created bureaucratic morass and a horrific style-guide for the city which defeats the very initiative shown by the Eichler’s and the Eames’s from the 50’s. The ordinance neither accomplishes it’s original goal, nor protects Austin from the ugly and ungainly development which the community feared most. Effectively throwing the breaks on all that was good with the young vibrant culture of architecture in Austin, the McMansion Ordinance now challenges visionary designers to work around the beast with fresh thinking. There is little value in looking back or worshipping the past. We have a design WAR to fight, just to make anything interesting. Any designer who has had to sit “down at the City” must surrender to torture just to make a good vision become reality. And unbridled loftscrapers continue to grow and grow, leaving weirder Austin menaced...

In a similar scary fashion, hyped communities have sprung up with zero lot lines, postage stamped lots, and a melancholy sameness. These planned communities mimic an idealistic image of “Craftsman” style architecture and attempt to make a new Hyde Park burst onto the scene. Of course, all are on a very fixed budget and fixed timeline by big builders, which is sort of the opposite of anything “Craftsman-like.” Do people really think that by building a Disneyland with old-style houses and front porches and shared back yards that people will behave like the people who used to live in houses like that? Do they think people will lazily rock on their front porch when their neighbors are breathing down their necks? SPEK would argue that these ideas do not map to the non-homogenous community we now live in. A lack of ample spatial relationships will not make good neighbors. We doubt anyone will be borrowing a cup of sugar, when you just have to open your window to hand it to the homeowner next door. By contrast SPEK bets that the blinds will be drawn, the lifestyles will be insular, and all will be communally annoyed. Wait and see...

And to top it all off we have the political reality of the moment. Economically the dollar is in shambles, internationally we are not the favorite, and environmentally we are on a downslide. Sociopolitically we have progressed backwards. America is behind in so many ways – undereducated, unhealthy and overfed – yet designers and artists need to work in this country and aim for something better. How can one aesthetically work in such a way to actually LEAD at such a time? How things “look,” after all, seems mighty low on the totem-pole in terms of what type of things can make a difference. If you work in the process of making things, this is ultimately the struggle. How do we make something that spawns change, that inspires belief in something better, or drives a better lifestyle? How do we make a well designed life?

In light of so much that needs to be changed, SPEK believes it is time to give up on living in the past. The 50’s were far from ideal, and much of that era’s idealism was rooted in American racism, homophobia, global isolationism, and patriarchy. We believe similar thinking patterns to that time have led us into our current international, political, financial, and environmental mess. Why fetishize the past? If you have a mid-century modern marvel and you can accentuate some lines and some original features, by all means do it. If you want to preserve something as if time stood still, we will leave that to you and other designers. SPEK is going forward.

When it comes to our projects, we love mid-century modern architecture for what it sets us up to do. We love the opportunity for innovation it presents us. We love the contrast between what was there and what we can create now. Believing in the value and diversity of people today, SPEK creates original homes, visionary spatial relationships, and new interactions between lives and their surroundings. We want to create places that enable a lifestyle that has been re-interpreted, re-invigorated, and refined.