HOUSES 101: Ennis House

Tonight, on Houses 101: 

A residential structure in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, the Ennis House is the last remaining "textile block" home made by Frank Lloyd Wright.

    When I first saw this on Architectural Digest, I was very surprised.  I did not know Frank Lloyd Wright built such houses.  Built in 1924, and influenced by Mayan architecture found in Uxmal combined with the type of structure seen in an Italian villa, the Ennis House obviously sticks out in the Los Angeles landscape.

    Construction was supervised by Wright himself, but countless structural instabilities caused the price to quickly increase.  The building is made from over 27,000 perforated concrete blocks meaning the concrete has small, thin holes through it.  It consists of two buildings that collectively add up to 10,000 square feet of space.  This is a massive house!

    The inside of the house is intentionally designed to allow plenty of sunlight through during the daytime, something Wright loved to include in his structures.  As for its overall design:  

"Its idiosyncratic aesthetic has attracted filmmakers for decades, most notably inspiring environments in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) and the 1959 film House on Haunted Hill"   - Architectural Digest

    Because of the home's design, it is prone to cracking and instability.  Before it had been completed, Wright's concrete was cracking, and the use of decomposed granite to color the concrete led to complications in the mix that caused it to deteriorate faster than normal.

According to Wikipedia, "The house was included as one of the top ten houses of all time in Los Angeles Times."  Aside from this, the Ennis House is currently under many national historic organizations aimed at preserving it as a historic landmark.  It's a very cool house, and something I would have to see if I'm ever in California!

 Sources:
>> Architectural Digest 
>> Wikipedia 

HOUSES 101 | A Dutch Mountain Home

   This Dutch mountain house in Huizen, Netherlands has quite an exclusive feel to it, and its design is very unique, which is obviously catered to harsh climates. 

    Although located in a rural area, this Dutch mountain house was built on top of a historical agricultural plot covered with snow, pine trees, and hayfields.  Since the clients didn't want to take out the natural terrain to make the home, the architects made an artficial hill for the house to set on.  One side of the house is covered with the hill acting as a blanket, which keeps the home well insulated from the Netherlands' brutal temperatures. 



    "The spatial structure of the house is a rectangular 12 x 19 meter open space. Steel cross the entire 12 meter width allowing great flexibility to the interior arrangement," said ArchDaily.  All the rooms are built with light wood structures, and they are not symmetrical.  They are scattered across the house randomly, which allows the clients to easily add and remove rooms at their disposal.



    ArchDaily also mentions that the Dutch mountain house also has two discintive atmospheric feels to it: "Either you are in a room, with a cave-like atmosphere, daylight coming to you through deep cuts in the mountain – or you are in the large open space in front of the stacked rooms."  Parts of the house also open up into a massive glass facade, which makes the outdoors clearly visible.  Basically, the whole house is one big experiment.  When they built this, the architects had to make the concept, structure, material, and technical installations work with what the clients wanted.



Sources:
>> http://www.archdaily.com/213884/dutch-mountain-denieuwegeneratie/
>> Previous HOUSES 101 Post

HOUSES 101 | House of Trough

Tonight's HOUSES 101 is the House of Trough in Kato-gun, Hokkaido, Japan, which is designed by architect Jun Igarashi who focuses on the beauty of the interior more than exterior intricacy.

    The House of Trough was not coincidentally built like a square box.  With boring white houses and an industrial yard to the south, architect Jun Igarashi focused on the interior instead of looking outward.  Although dull on the exterior, this house has so much more to offer on the inside.



   Basically, his clients wanted "a large living space where they could relax and entertain."  So, Igarashi decided to look inward, and make a space that was "spacious" so that the clients would be pleased.  They didn't want their house to feel cluttered or cramped as well.  They wanted the rooms to be capacious, with not much furniture or decorations.  I can see why considering that the house is only 1,060 square feet.



    Because of the region's chilly climate, Igarashi decided to add something called a "windbreak room", which is "an extension to a house's entrance that keeps cold air out of its main body."  He then split the inside up into two main sections: one that extends north and one that extends south.

 

    The furniture was made using plywood, with not having much furniture it was less of a burden to buy the plywood.  Igarashi then installed "translucent white organdy curtains that are pulled across the inner edges of peripheral areas to enclose the main living spaces." 



    He also put white curtains over areas that were open to the outside,  (Specifically being the main living areas) so that others can see what is going on outside from numerous angles.  (If there is anything else than the occasional storm, considering they are by an industrial yard)


   
    There are also many catwalks in the house, where the members can walk along side one and see the "valley" below.  I'm guessing that could be a little dangerous with no rails, but that's okay.  If someone plummets down to the living area below it's their own fault.  It actually is relatively safe because Igarashi put very thin, wired ropes as guard rails.



    "For now, they enjoy life in their introverted residence that is hardly short on drama."  (and clutter, I must add)

Sources:
>> http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/hotm/2011/12/House-of-Trough.asp

References:
>> Previous HOUSES 101 Post

HOUSES 101 | Stone Creek Camp

    Stone Creek Camp is a four-building compound in Bigfork, Montana.  It is a project led by Andersson Wise Architects.  Their clients Connie and Martin Stone, had a previous house designed for them in Tuscon, Arizona by the same company.  This time, Andersson Wise Architects are making a camp near Bigfork, Montana, at Flathead Lake called Stone Creek Camp.  The couple said that they wanted the group to create an environment for them where they felt "both protected and in nature" at the same time. 

 

   The camp/house makes a perfect place for a peaceful vacation and has a great view of the lake.  Its rooms all have a unique personality and feel, but they all have tight, cave-like spaces with good-size porches.  To get to the camp, you take a trail through the dense forest and arrive at the 1,900 square foot gatehouse.  After the gatehouse, comes a lodge, guesthouse, and the 3,200 square foot "master" house.  This is where Connie and Martin Stone spend most of their time, with there bathrooms, bedrooms, living room, and offices inside the back part of the house.  (which is closest to the lake) 



You can actually move the walls in between rooms, which provides a great experience with the outdoors being indoors.  The master house is designed so it blends in with the landscape, and it creates a good resting place where the clients can go without being disrupted by guests. 



    The living spaces seperate from the "master" house consist of black-stained cedar with pitched Corten steel roofs.  The architects are building walls from re-used douglas fir, larch, and grand fir trees in the upper side of the house.  And the walls are also waterproof!  The house has a "natural roughness" that matches the theme of the outdoors.  All the compounds were strategically placed to avoid the underground water streams' paths, which flow to Flathead Lake.  Connie Stone says, “If I could pick one word to describe the spaces, both inside and out, I’d call them ‘pure.’ Everything is resolved, everything is correct.”

References:
>> Information and Pictures from archrecord.construction.com
>> Previous HOUSES 101 Post

HOUSES 101 | Hampden Lane House

    It has been a long week, and I am ready for some more architecture.  Although I am tired, I will push on as I listen to awesome music as a write this.  This post will be crazy and spectacular as you see how awesome modern architecture can be.  Welcome to today's HOUSES 101 and welcome to the Hampden Lane House.  *Raises keyboard and shouts onward.*  (How's that for an awesome intro?  Maybe too cheesy)

    The Hampden Lane House in Bethesda, Maryland, is a shocker in itself.  It's not because of its modern look, but how small it is.  At only 2,200 square feet, most other homes were built to the max of their zoning laws in the neighborhood.  Architect Robert Gurney and his young entrepreneur client designed the house, which suprised most residents because of its size.  The property is only about 60 feet by 150 feet.  Hampden Lane's exterior walls are made mostly out of charcoal-gray, ground-faced concrete blocks.  It is not much on the outside that counts, it is on the inside.  (I wonder who hasn't heard that before?  *wink*)



   Hopefully this isn't getting too cheesy for some of you!  Let's carry on.  On the inside, the house looks spectacular.  Although the house lacks size, it makes up for it in its basement and 1,100 square foot roof.  The architect's client offen invites people from his financial firm to dinner on the roof.  Gurney says, "We're very informal."  (because it is mostly a family house)

   

    The thing I like about this house is that the spaces are bright and open.  Who doesn't love a bright, open home to live in?  The stainless steel countertops with the walnut floors and white walls makes a great finishing look.  Spending most time in outside and the basement, the client's four children (with one on the way) love their house.  What child wouldn't?  The basement includes one bedroom, a playroom, a media room, and a laundry.

    The bathroom and master bedroom look amazing.  (totally modern in my opinion)  On the ground floor, there are public spaces, including an open kitchen, while bedrooms are on the second floor.  “Not one part of this house goes unused,” says Gurney. His client agrees, and adds, “It's a house of its time, and it's completely a reflection of me.”  Although the house is really unique in its colonial and craftsman style neighborhood, it is a masterpiece indeed.  Remember, it is not on the outside that counts, it is on the inside.  (getting cheesy yet?)

*All pictures and information from archrecord.construction.com*