Mintz Residence is the second of three urban villas comprising the Residences of King’s Hill, a unique residential development located on Cleveland’s
near west side. Despite being situated within the urban context of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, this “virgin” site is an idyllic enclave within a park-like setting, adjacent to the site’s eastern and southern
boundaries. Uninterrupted views of Lake Erie, Cleveland’s downtown and industrial flats, as well as the site’s proximity to a busy vehicular thoroughfare reconnect the site to its urban environment.Designed for a couple, one of which is a photographer, the program called for spaces to live, work, and play, which were distributed on four levels due to limited site area and a desire to take advantage of
unique views afforded by the site. The vertical organization gives the architecture a sense of urbanity even in contrast to the residentialscale.
The architecture of the Mintz Residence is articulated as a series of minimal and discreet volumes which continually stack and shift in plan and section to generate the massing. More than a compositional device, these formal manipulations opportunistically take advantage of the unique characteristics and constraints of the site. In lieu of a monolithic geometry, the multiple shapes suggest a subtle integration into the dramatically sloping hillside. As the volumes stack and overlap, the resulting interstitial spaces form a series of terraces and cantilevers which shelter exterior space. On the interior, the intersection between volumes creates dramatic double height and
mezzanine spaces, blurring the boundary between communal and private domestic zones. The exterior envelope fenestration is composed of a variety of
different apertures. The resulting effect is to create a distinctive sequence of views, including vistas, panoramas, and glimpses, which recalibrate the viewer’s engagement with the surrounding context as one experiences the diversity of spaces in the Mintz Residence.
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