(continued)

The 2 Square House by Marlon Blackwell is on a 0.7-acre (0.3-hectare) site in a 30-year-old residential neighborhood development. The west-facing slope of the site rises steeply 50 feet (15 meters) in elevation to the east perimeter of the site. Access and entry to the site are from the street level along the west perimeter. The site is wooded with native oaks. There are distant views to the west and northwest.

Design

The clients are a couple with grown children. The husband is a university professor and the wife is a teacher and photographer. They wanted a spatially efficient structure that would allow them to enjoy the extensive western views as well as the immediate landscape.

Using the minimum size for a two-car garage, 23 x 23 feet (7 x 7 meters), a plan diagram was generated by duplicating this module resulting in two squares joined together by a series of stairways that ascend the slope of the site.

The result is a simple three-story box that has a consistent proportion of 1:2. The box is not only efficient in its use of space and materials, but has a minimum impact on the site. The unstable clay soil is penetrated with 13 cast-in-place concrete piers, 12 feet (4 meters) deep, that anchor the building to the hill.

The western elevation presents a public face to the street — a 30-foot (9-meter) high facade symmetrically ordered at the upper two floors. Nearly all interior program elements, at all levels, interact with this facade for views and natural light.

An entrance foyer projects beyond the envelope of the ground floor to begin a series of sequences. Here the first stairway rises to a generous landing and window seat with views to the east.

As the stair switches back and ascends to the primary living floor, there are a series of 7-foot (2-meter) high windows and doors that extend for 40 feet (12 meters) offering panoramic views to the west. A 7-foot (2-meter) wide covered cantilevered redwood deck extends the living area through and along the west facade.

A rear deck and terrace at the east elevation provide a sense of privacy and an opportunity to enjoy a more intimate experience with the wooded site. The second stairway ascends to the top floor and switches back to the gallery/sitting room.

This transitional space is recentered with the cross axis of the house and provides stunning views of the rolling foothills of the Ozarks. All rooms at this level open in to this pivotal space.

Construction

A custom-designed siding system of painted and stained plywood sheets with custom-milled redwood battens and trim enriches the building's simple volume. The construction is a standard wood platform on poured-in-place concrete foundation walls.

Plywood "I" joists, laminated-veneer lumber beams and scissor trusses make up the floor, deck, and roof structures. The relatively modest depth of the house allows for ample cross ventilation.

The vertical circulation shaft also helps to naturally ventilate the interior spaces. Large overhangs at the west and east elevations help control summer sun and winter shade, providing a zone of comfort throughout the year.

James Grayson Trulove, editor of The New American Cottage and The New American Garden, and publisher of books specializing in architecture and landscape art, lives in Washington, D.C.

Il Kim, who collaborated with James Trulove on The New American Cottage is an architect and a Ph.D. candidate in architectural history at Columbia University. He lives in New York.

This article is excerpted from The New American House 3 by James Grayson Trulove and Il Kim. Copyright © 2001 by James Grayson Trulove. Published by Whitney Library of Design, an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, NY. Available where books are sold, including from Amazon.com.

Southeast View Photo: Richard Johnson Stairs from ground-floor foyer to first floor. Photo: Richard Johnson Dining area. Photo: Richard Johnson Second Floor Plan Image: Marlon Blackwell Architect First Floor Plan. Image: Marlon Blackwell Architect Daylight Basement Plan. Image: Marlon Blackwell Architect Horizontal batten detail. Image: Marlon Blackwell Architect Section. Image: Marlon Blackwell Architect   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.