Sense of seclusion

Lakefront properties usually have great views, but they can also be exposed to public view when there are promenades along the edge of the lake. Architectural designer Charles Stinson of Charles R Stinson Architects, say this lakefront property posed such a challenge.

"The site fronts the walkway along the lakefront, so it is open to the public. But the owners needed privacy," Stinson says. "Consequently, the architecture and the landscaping needed to be designed to block the pedestrian traffic."

Stinson says the solution was to create a raised building platform and ring the entire property with granite walls.

"The elevation means that the house is secluded and intimate all you can see is the lake and the city in the background. The wings of the largely U-shaped house also help to block off the neighboring properties they ensure the entry gallery is private."

The design has not completely isolated the house from its immediate environment, however. Stinson says sustainability was a key driver for the design, and this is why local building materials were used wherever possible.

"Minnesota limestone features right through the house. We used Vetter limestone and cut it horizontally in slabs, which were put on the house in exactly the same way the stone looked when it was still in the ground. The granite walls are also local stone."

The landscaping, by Shane Coen, is an integral part of the design, helping to frame the view and soften the harder lines of the architecture. Project architect Larry Ward says all the water run-off from the landscaped areas, including the auto court, is collected for irrigation.

The sustainability doesn't end there, however. There are 40 geothermal wells on the property, which heat the interior, and the swimming pool, and provide heat for cooking. Ward says the house is also designed for future solar heating.

These features are not obvious at a glance, however. The house presents a modern, clean-edged architectural design, and is comprised of a series of linked geometric volumes. A glass-walled tower balances the strong horizontal forms.

"The tower functions as a lightwell and a vertical organizing element," says Stinson. "It provides a glass shaft that brings light into the stairwell and the powder room on the ground floor."

The tower features two types of solar glass so it is partially transparent and partially obscure. The stairs inside the tower lead to a private rooftop terrace, which includes a grassed area.

The extensive use of natural wood on the interior ensures the house is warm and inviting. Teak soffits below a series of transom windows bring a human scale to the large rooms and provide sun shading. Stinson says they also break up the upper and lower windows, so the top windows can operate separately to allow cross ventilation. In addition, the soffits provide a platform for the ambient lighting.

"The soffits form a ribbon of natural materials right around the house. They also allow visual continuity between inside and out on the exterior the soffits feature anodized aluminum."

Another visual link is provided by the Minnesota limestone, which also clads several walls inside the house. And there are structural walls paneled in bronze on both the inside and outside of the house.

Maple is another natural material appearing in the house it panels walls in several rooms, including the main living area. It also clads a structural steel wall in the master suite sitting room. This room features a square cutout motif that is repeated throughout the interior. There are doors with glazed squares, and niche cutouts in key circulation areas.

Recessed wood-lined ceilings are a feature of the circulation spaces. Wood lining also edges the plaster ceilings in several rooms. Stinson says layering the ceilings helps define the spaces and creates a sense of animation and warmth.

While the main living room and bedrooms are carpeted, other floors feature environmentally friendly spalted maple, which has been hand-scraped and waxed.

An eco-friendly Bulthaup kitchen was specified. This features large slabs of white marble paired with Aluminum Gray lacquer and walnut American stripe cabinets. The island incorporates a raised bar top made from pewter.

The kitchen, dining room and family room, and top-floor bedrooms all overlook the pool terrace. In keeping with the contemporary design aesthetic, the pool has an infinity edge the water level is flush with the paving, and the overflow is collected below ground.

Story by: Trendsideas