The original 1,100 square main house was completed in 1986 as a weekend retreat. A writer’s studio was competed in 2002. The guest house was completed in 2012 and provides private space for guests and a remote study for the owner.
The form of the guest house was inspired by an Anselm Kiefer painting. On a lead sheet at the center of the artist’s work, a chalk outline of a cube was drawn with diagonally opposite corners chamfered. Transferred to a small structure the cleaving of the corners offered a unique way of both entering and lighting the interior.
The lower level has a two-story entry space, sleeping niche, laundry, toileting, and shower. A stair leads to an upper level study and sleeping loft. The guest house is rotated 90 degrees over its foundation, creating cantilevered corners floating just above the ground. High value insulation, minimal thermal bridging, high performance windows and door, high mass lower level stone flooring with a carefully positioned south facing window, and a rain screen wood skin make this a quietly energy efficient structure. The architect designed all three structures and was primarily responsible for the construction of the writer’s studio and the guest house.
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