Architecture: A Curving House on a Curving Site

Leonardo,Vol. 6,pp. 147-148. Pergamon Press 1973. Printedin Great Britain ARCHITECTURE: A CURVING HOUSE ON A CURVING SITE Allen Kosoff* Lake Ontariois one of the largestlakesin the world. Its north half is in Canada and the south half is in the Stateof New York, U.S.A. Itsvisualdimensions appear to be those of an ocean. The wind may howl out of the west with the force of a gale but it can be alsoverystill. In mid-winter, fantastic 30 foot crags of ice pile up on the shore. In the summer, the same location becomes a shallow, gradually sloping sandy beach, extending a thousand feet from the shore, and the clear, calm water is warm enough for swimming. My client, a clergyman, felt that no other part of the State offereda comparablesite both for stimulation and contemplation. On the beach, rabbit, bird and man tracks can be seenfrequently,then in June, the shore becomes covered with the carcasses of millions of dead alewives, a specie of fish about 6 inches long, similar to the herring. Gradually the fish decay and mingle with the drifting sand. The most impressivefeature of the site is a series of sand dunes, large enough to conceal a dwelling. The dunes slowlymigrate along the shore, so slowly that patches of grass and shrubs, and even poplar and mapletrees, grow,onlyto be coveredeventually by sand. My client wanted a modern retreat that would embracenature rather than opposeit. The siteis on a sandy peninsula protruding into Lake Ontario. The axisof the lot isin a gullybetween dunes,partly covered with coarse shrubs, that rise about thirty feet above the gully. The problem of designing a low cost house on this site was challenging. The view eastward from the tops of the dunes is a pond with canals, cattails and fishing boats. The view to the west is more rugged and offers the contrasts of powerful winds, spray and sun. Privacy was a necessity, as was securityfrom intruders and from vandalism. The house would have to resist strong winds that drivesand through the smallestcracksand yet allow light breezes to enter on a hot, humid day. It would have to be constructedwithout tearing up the layer of vegetation that protects the dunes from rapid wind erosion. My client agreedwith me that shapes must be rounded, so as to conform to the curves of * Architect living at 209 Berkeley Drive, Syracuse, N.Y. ’ 13210, U.S.A. (Received29April 1972.) Fig. 1. Viewof houseplannedfor a site on Lake Ontario, N.Y., U.S.A. the dunes. A long, low silhouette seemed to fit the landscape better than one that would be vertical and obtrusive(Fig. 1). The house is designed to rest on braced 6 x 6 in. wood columnsup to 20 feet high abovethe gully, so that the dunes will not obscure the view. Furthermore , this will obviate the necessity of heavy equipment for digging foundations. The floor is high enough to allow sunshineand rain to penetrate the space under the house so that vegetation and animals may continue to live there. ~ Fig. 2. Plan view of house. 147 148 Allen Kosofl Thelong north and south walls are designedto be almost windowless, in order to give privacy and as protection against the prevailing winds. Glass is clusteredontheeastand west endsand canbe closed off by vertical slat shutters. The bedrooms are on the east end and, thus, shaded from the afternoon heat of the Sun. The west end is the social part of the house (Fig. 2). A cylindrical masonry element at the northwest corner is designed to anchor the house structurally and to provide a focalpoint for an interior intimate seatingpit. In the cylinder there is also a barbecue grill opening onto the porch and a changing room accessible from the ground. Intimacy is further provided at the pit by a low band of glass, which is at the height of a seated person’s head. Thus a person can look outsidewithout being seen. The floor plan consists of two shells. The east shell is to be heated independently of the open west shell or foyer, thus conserving expense during the winter, when there are few occupants. The foyer floor is...