Through The Woods
Good architecture makes nice with the neighbors, and in this case, the trees were there first. The owners envisioned a modest house that would blend quietly with nature, causing minimal disruption to the forest. Honoring this wish, architects Brian Johnsen and Sebastian Schmaling allowed
The main body of the house is a one-story bar that sits parallel to a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. “We wanted to take advantage of the views, but also the predominant breezes that came up off the lake and accelerated at the top of the bluff,” explains Johnsen. To that end, the bar volume is punctured by two 16-foot-wide apertures (at the main entry and the dining room) that can be opened wide—front to back—via massive pivoting and sliding mahogany doors.
A small, second-story observatory above the entry foyer (accessible via spiral staircase) further aids in venting warm air, at the same time providing a bird’s eye view of the property. Shading from the site’s deciduous tree canopy reduces the home’s A/C load in summer, while a large commercial skylight on the west side of the roof structure promotes heat gain in winter.
Simple in shape, the long volume of the house is counterbalanced by two perpendicular structures, which, in combination, form an intimate forecourt.
Stemming from the south end of the home is a garage whose shed roof appears to float above a clerestory band of windows. The north end is marked by a trellised ipe colonnade leading up to the front entry. An inspired integrating device, the colonnade passes through mature trees, wraps the house in the form of an elevated patio, and eventually extends inside to create the exposed structure of the living room ceiling.
This blurring of boundaries between indoors and outdoors—a concept the architects refer to as “extended surface”—is also notable in the 4x4x16–inch concrete block masonry that forms a fireplace inside as well as the base of the home’s exterior skin. Outside, the block complements fiber-cement siding with deep cedar battens and a standing-seam metal roof to offer up an organic reinterpretation of the region’s agrarian buildings.
“We looked for ways in which we could elevate common building products to a new level of elegance,” Johnsen says, “not only to stay within budget, but also to redefine the vernacular of what would otherwise be considered a basic ranch home.”