Wood Flow

Boston, MA, United States

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Trefoil House

Wood Flow

Boston, MA, United States

Firm

J.Roc Design

Type

Landscape + Planning › Private Garden

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2016

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$50K - 100K

The client’s required program included a large and small yoga area, dining area for large and small parties, dance floor, shaded work area, seating for 15, sunbathing for 2, and extensive green space. The furniture required alone would have filled 600 square feet. In order to resolve this contradiction, programs are each assigned a curvature and are woven into the surface of the deck as warp and weft. Areas are sculpted up from the floor to various levels and angles of repose to produce terraced zones for a range of active to sedentary programs.

Due to the site’s location in a historic district and adjacent to a park, innovative design solutions were unlikely to be approved. To address both the programmatic need for fluid surfaces and approval constraints, the roof deck was treated as an entirely modular furniture assembly using no screws or nails, which sits atop a previously approved blank deck surface. The assembly is removable, and is not attached to the surface below. Instead, pieces slot together as with traditional Japanese wood construction. This also addressed the client’s desire to be able to repair the deck as damaged pieces could easily be popped off and replaced, and relocatable in the event of a move.

Sapele was selected as the wood species used due to its rot resistance, sustainability, workability, and appearance. Japanese wood joint geometries were adapted for CNC milling and serve as robust, durable connections to last through harsh winters. Integrated grooves and tracks are also CNC milled into each wood piece to slot onto supporting modular metal frames and receive integrated LED lighting. A pergola was constructed out of marine grade Sapele plywood slats, and native grasses, mosses, and perennials were selected to provide a maintenance free and durable garden.

The project uses only 16 unique wood profiles to accommodate a wide range of programs, making repair/replacement easy. Modularity also allows for scalable mass customization. A second site-specific roof deck project is currently underway using the same components.

All design work, carpentry, and install were performed by the architect. CNC Milling by Polyfab, steel fabrication by Atlantic Steel, planting and drip irrigation install by Erdman Design.