Melding art
and architecture to transform a 1930s house into a stunning example of
experimental creative design on a livable scale.
The
Butterfly House is a dramatic architectural sculpture inspired
by the lifecycle of the butterfly.
An experiment in zoomorphic design, the remodelled family home traces
each change from the larval stage, represented by the bridge leading to the
house; to the chrysalis, captured by the staircase, enclosed areas of the house
and conservatory; to the final winged insect, as represented by external canopies
over a paved garden space.
Located on the Surrey/Sussex border, the design
process took two years to evolve and explores the notion of fusing art and
architecture. The original property, a 1930s timber-clad house, sits in the
centre of the new property. Entry into it is via a steel bridge with curved
balustrades that hint at the segmented body of a caterpillar. The interior of
the house is ‘alive’ with colour and a web of fibres, wires and cables,
cocooning inhabitants. Finally, the retractable winged canopies spread as sun
shades over the conservatory, overlooking the garden.
The resulting house is an invigorating and dramatic
experience of colour and texture. Laurie Chetwood has created instinctively
rather than intellectually this experiment in architectural sculpture that is
also a stimulating family home.
Quote
“Chetwood’s startling creation is a riot of
unlikely shapes, materials and textures that encapsulate the building’s
function while transforming one’s perception of it.”
Will Jones, New Residential Architecture
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