Paul GrahamVerified account

McMansions are cheap materials put together in bad taste

Well put. If a designer understands materials, physics and construction on the deepest level, an effect can be achieved for half the cost. At @HigharcHomes, we are scaling accessibility to that knowledge.

One of my favorite things about the YC architecture is how configurable it all is without feeling like you're in a temporary space. The main hall can be used for pitches/dining/socializing/working/lectures and it feels like it was designed for that. Kudos to Kate.

Was there any consideration of the impact of the materials? Paul, I believe you would be impressed by hempcrete, an inexpensive material that has the ability to turn all of our buildings into carbon sinks.

Just built a house and McMansions often(!!) have terrible materials! Paper doors and $2/sqft tile. So cheap. The only thing they are selling is total square footage, people don't seem to notice the niceness or not of materials.

Like an early stage startup. Making something with basic materials and great care. Like Kate’s work, the users/ visitors only care about the end product and the value they receive. Not the fancy materials used to make the product.