Response 3

This building is a home that students live in off of Washtenaw Ave. The detail above is one of the many details that overlay the brick. I think that the contrast in materials, (the details being in wood, overlaying the brick) complement one another to create a high-end appearance to the viewer. The shapes that the wood forms are strategically made in order to frame the house in a way that is tasteful, but not overwhelming. Frascari says in his article, "The Tell-The-Tale Detail," that "Details are much more than subordinate elements; they can be regarded as the minimal units of signification in the architectural production of meaning.” Without the brown wooden detail, this house would be completely different. The wood would no longer be the defining component of this house, because the house would appear significantly different. This detail helps give off a certain meaning to the viewer and if the detail was no longer present on the house, the meaning would also be different. The detail on this house is very important, it isn’t just for decoration. We often forget about details and just skip to what is the big picture. But what we forget is that the details aid in making the big picture.