Powell, OH | 2014
The plan development followed a selective compartmentalization of the geometries of the U shaped diagram, isolating the bars and corners and reconnecting them as needed. The center bar – the main living functions – was then exposed to the interior courtyard and isolated from the public entry(ies). The focus of the interiors then became the private courtyard screened by the woods beyond.
The convention of the main singular entry and foyer was discarded in lieu of multiple identical entries sequenced along the main living areas, and no dedicated space at all. Guests enter anywhere they like along the exterior walk and into the kitchen, dining or living areas.
The interior and exterior materials are minimal and basic – exposed concrete floors, white ceramic tile and bamboo wood inside and white stucco and a vertical cedar rainscreen outside. The cedar exterior is primarily stained with the exception of a recessed portion of the south facing entry wall, which uses the Japanese technique of Shou Sugi Ban, where the raw wood is charred and left exposed.