Juxtaposition

Picturesque, wooded building sites are often given the full traditional country treatment by designers and homeowners looking to enhance the surroundings. But sometimes nature is best appreciated when juxtaposed with strong, linear forms.

It was this thinking that determined the design of this new house built on a 7-acre sloping woodland site. Architect David Jameson says introducing bold, square-edged volumes makes it easier to read the undulating topography.

"It's a little like an electrocardiogram. The natural, organic elements create a trace when viewed against the strict horizontal and vertical lines of the architecture. You can read the vital signs of the landscape a lot more readily when it is seen in relation to the geometric forms. Here, you can even see the topography of the land as it falls away beneath the house."

Jameson says the repetitive rhythm of the walls and windows reinforces the effect, providing a visual consistency that contrasts with the free-flowing, organic backdrop. White stucco walls further enhance the contrast, creating a foil to the brilliant colors in the landscape.

"This makes the connection to the landscape much more powerful visually. The house is like a kaleidoscope through which to view the changing seasons and they are all beautiful in different ways."

The concept of juxtaposition is even applied to the house itself. A 110ft x 30ft linear volume accommodating the more open, public spaces is angled against a 30ft x 40ft three-story tower block, which houses the more private rooms.

The two buildings are connected by a triangular glazed node that forms the main entry.

"The distilled stucco wall planes and butted glass windows form a skin that wraps the exterior the windows are reminiscent of a ribbon weaving in and out of the facade," says Jameson. "The woven effect is amplified by large cutouts the facade appears eroded away at both ends and in the center of the building."

These openings carved out from the box-like volume allow plenty of natural light to filter into the house, and provide framed views of the tree canopy. They also create space for an elevated terrace off the main living area.

Interior finishes were chosen to bring the woodland into the house, but as a sleek, modern reference. Double-height quarter-sawn walnut casework divides the kitchen, dining and living areas the vertical forms reiterating the trees outside. Cutouts in the casework, and the position of the windows, provide a transparency right through the living areas.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Nic Lehoux