‘Change is the only thing that’s constant’

Cheered by the outpouring of support for the home and the joy many have reported feeling in driving past it, Nicholson is gratified his work has had an impact on the thousands of people who have driven past the uniquely-shaped, colorful home. A change.org petition in support of allowing Fang to leave the sculptures where they are garnered nearly 13,000 signatures as of Monday evening.

After the town of Hillsborough filed a lawsuit against Fang March 13 alleging she must remove the landscaping improvements officials say were installed at the home without planning approvals or building permits, the homeowner and her lawyer have announced plans to file a cross-compliant with claims town officials impinged on the homeowner’s rights to due process and her own personal property.

“We have so many problems in the world, so many things happening, if something brings a smile to your face … more power to it,” he said. “Now I really feel great that this has really brought about a consciousness that houses can be fun, too.”

Captivated by cave-like structures, Nicholson said he’s long wondered whether more people could consider alternatives to the box-shaped structures he said humans have been living in for some 20,000 years. He said he first got the idea to design a home with several domes of different sizes when he visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and built his first dome-shaped home in the Mojave Desert.

Having seen one of the two dome-shaped homes he built in the Mojave Desert, the original homeowners of the Flintstone House asked him to build a home in Hillsborough, which he said was completed in 1978. Designed so the interior features a continuous flow of curves, the air flow and insulation of the homes were estimated to save some 20 percent in cooling and heating costs, noted Nicholson, who added that some 70 percent of the home is built with gunite, a renewable material Nicholson chose over more traditional wood frames and plasterboard.

But not long after the fourth domed home he built in Palm Springs went without a buyer for more than two years, Nicholson said he came to realize that not many were willing to buy something that’s seems different from the products or homes their peer group buys, even if those who ventured inside the structures appreciated them.

“Unfortunately, I think most of our decisions on what we wear and cars we drive and certainly the buildings or homes that we buy are … pretty much … determined by what we perceive our peer group to be,” he said.

Once he sold the home in Palm Springs, Nicholson moved to Sedona, Arizona where he designed subdivisions and developments aimed at blending in with the natural terrain. He said he is now focused on designing wine caves and vineyard communities fitting within the topography of properties in California and Arizona.

Nicholson said he’s encountered some pushback on his vineyard projects in Northern California, and acknowledged many either loved or hated the Flintstone House when it was first built. But he felt there were more people who landed somewhere in the middle of the road with regard to their feelings about the home when it was first constructed.

“The whole philosophy of building something different and doing something different, it’s just kind of a learning curve for society,” he said.

Nicholson said he hasn’t been in touch with any of the homeowners of the Flintstone House since he designed it, but has been interested in the changes the owners have opted to make to the eye-catching home and rest of the property, such as a project taken on by a resident who owned the home before Fang to paint the previously-neutral-colored home a deep orange color.

Acknowledging that the only thing that’s constant is change, Nicholson noted he is not one of those architects who hopes their projects remain static, noting he was pleased the Flintstone House has lent itself to changes over the years.

“People don’t like change, however, change is the only thing that’s constant,” he said. “The Empire State Building is not going to change, whereas this one has had the flexibility to move and change and evolve. In 50 years, it’s going to be something else.”

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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