House on the Pond

The project brief asked for a pavilion that could serve a multitude of uses, from a pool house to housing a family of four, to hosting a dinner party among friends and family. The pavilion also had to conform to very strict size constraints: the client’s parents live on the property and this is considered a secondary dwelling, which in turn means that it could have a footprint no larger than fifty square meters and a mezzanine of twenty square meters.

As terrasses do not factor in the building footprint calculations, we used the broadly defined rules to our advantage. We surrounded the house with a copious amount of terraces such that they became a sort of envelope to the house. By moving the mezzanine over one of the terrasses, we maximize the interior volume and create a stronger sense of privacy between the spaces. We programmed the terrasses to have specific functions: a sunken fire-pit, for the cooler nights, a gallery, that links all the spaces and serves as a bridge to the pond, and a covered exterior dining that can open to the main spaces to create a larger room when the weather is pleasant.

We think, or hope, that this pavilion is a good expression of minimal architecture: that the constraints in the end served the project and its manifestation on the site. Rather than a only a glass box detached from the landscape, the perimeter of the pavilion is porous and invites the users to interact with the architecture in a different way when facing the passage of time.

We wanted the building to feel warm, natural and timeless. We drew from the local vernacular architecture, much of which is agrarian. The wood cladding and decks are made of Kebony, a sustainable modified wood and the roof is metal. For the interior, the wood throughout is rift cut white oak for a sense of evenness for the small footprint. To compliment the wood, the kitchen counter is a Taj Mahal Quartzite which carries streaks of gold and amber and the stone at the fire is a soft, putty colored sandstone. The decorative hardware is unlacquered brass intended to develop a patina over time. In all, the material palette is reserved, honest, warm and durable. We liked to think of the project as a jewel box, with more lush finishes punctuating and unifying the small spaces.

The owners were young, active parents that were concerned about making the pavilion an appropriate addition to the site. They understood the architecture as a way to perpetuate the life of this very beautiful, ancestral home for their family.
The siting of the project gives them enough space to be their own family unit while still maintaining close ties with the older generation. The new residence accommodates eight people so that all three generations can dine together.

We had almost no wiggle room to place the pavilion on the site. We had to conform to so many stringent restrictions that the position was a given. In a way, this was wonderful, as it prompted us to find the solutions within the architecture itself. We had to accept the environment and make the architecture porous, as we really felt like we were building an intersection of vistas.

We had some back and forth with the clients on the topic of light, as they, and this is no reproach, always seemed to want “more” natural light: we chose to let it all in on one side, and to control it carefully on another. We wanted to be able to respond to the fact that this project is not always basking in the sun: it sits in the shade of a nearby mountain for most of the winter, and we felt artificial lighting was the best way to confers a sense of coziness, almost cocooning for those months.

The home is intended to feel warm and welcoming. This is a place for the clients now, but will eventually be a guesthouse, and we feel there is no better expression of a guest house than as simple, clear space that has the warmth to make you feel comfortable right away.
The architecture is an extension of the client, of the site, of the natural surroundings and because of that, it is never static. In the summer, there is a feeling of expansion, as the accordion door opens onto the covered terrace. In the winter, the feeling is one of coziness and comfort with the warmth of the fire and the snow drifts beyond.

We think the pavilion deftly navigates the line between exuberant and restrained: a little bit grandiose, while very humble, which isn’t that common, and we’re quite pleased with that. Like a jewel box, it is small but thoughtfully considered. The clients appreciate that it will be a home to last for generations. In a world where the short view is so prevalent, this project takes a long view and seeks to develop patina, to make memories, to be a home that will endure for many years.