When I was in my early 50s, I thought often about how to house people, attractively, cozily, affordably, naturally. As described in the other posts in the “universal design” category, I found it gratifying to contemplate how to build with intelligence and forethought. It’s been my experience that if necessity is the mother of invention then laziness must be the father, because my fresh ideas are almost always inspired by a fear of future retrofits. I disdain redoing.

I imagined a few broad building ideas, and I enjoyed envisioning them. But I’m 61 now, and I’m lazy, and I don’t think I’ll be building them or even refining their design. I’m writing them to get them out of my head. Feel free to do with them as you please.

I described my first concept, the spiral-ramp building, in ArcAngle 1 (March 2), and the second, the ramp-around rectangle, a week later. Those ideas led to the realization that walls and floors were getting in my way, and any wood frame was limiting permitted height. I began to toy with metal frames, imagining fabrication from recycled cars.

What fun! The first form was a multi-storied building with permanent metal scaffolding on the outside. The scaffolding acts as ramp and also as benches and maybe play areas around the building. The walls are no longer load-bearing, and can be moved at little expense.

The next idea moved the framing inside. I imagined that the infrastructure would be designed by the future residents, with engineering approval of course. If some people wanted a spoke of frame to intrude into one of their rooms, perhaps with hooks or another detail, that might be possible. The idea is the future residents would design a tree of recycled metal, and then apartments would hang from the branches. Walls, ceilings and floors become acoustical and visual and thermal barriers but not load-bearing treasures.

This building seemed to me to be the ultimate habitat for humans. I haven’t gone beyond it yet.