Modern Home Rooted in Its Place | Pound Ridge NY Homes
Very few philosophers have tackled the subject of architecture, and when it has happened, the emphasis has been on aesthetics. Certainly Roger Scruton’s The Aesthetics of Architecture comes to mind, in which the philosopher applies ideas of aesthetic theory to architecture to find its essence. Counter to this is Martin Heidegger’s ideas focused on experience and meaning, summed up in his lecture and essay “Building Dwelling Thinking,” from more than 60 years ago. For Heidegger something could not be called architecture because of the way it looks; rather this label was based on how a building was situated within the world and provided a place for a meaningful existence.
Why do I bring up philosophy and Martin Heidegger here, in an ideabook about a house in Canada designed by Kariouk Associates? Because the clients provided a quote at the beginning of the project that gave direction to the spirit of the design:
“It is proper to every gathering that the gatherers assemble
to coordinate their efforts to the sheltering;
only when they have gathered together with
that end in view do they begin to gather.”
— Martin Heidegger, Logos
This quote is a quite a mouthful, but the four instances of the word “gather” are indicative of a mind that stressed not only particular definitions of words but the strength of the meanings behind them. In the case of this house, the clients and architects came together to strive for a meaningful place, a home where the family could take hold for, in their words, the next half century.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with 2 boys
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Why do I bring up philosophy and Martin Heidegger here, in an ideabook about a house in Canada designed by Kariouk Associates? Because the clients provided a quote at the beginning of the project that gave direction to the spirit of the design:
“It is proper to every gathering that the gatherers assemble
to coordinate their efforts to the sheltering;
only when they have gathered together with
that end in view do they begin to gather.”
— Martin Heidegger, Logos
This quote is a quite a mouthful, but the four instances of the word “gather” are indicative of a mind that stressed not only particular definitions of words but the strength of the meanings behind them. In the case of this house, the clients and architects came together to strive for a meaningful place, a home where the family could take hold for, in their words, the next half century.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with 2 boys
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Size: 4 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Heidegger did not write “Building Dwelling Thinking” as a prescriptive theory for architecture, so most architects influenced by the essay focus on a wide variety of ideas within it. At its basis the essay argues that building (as the act of constructing) serves dwelling (the meaningful act of living in a place), but he complicates matters by asserting that we can’t learn to build until we’ve learned how to dwell.
Implicit in this notion is that we have forgotten how to live on the earth, how to live peacefully in nature. One place to start, then, is to think of how a house meets the earth and the sky, something this house addresses through its foundation and roof.
Implicit in this notion is that we have forgotten how to live on the earth, how to live peacefully in nature. One place to start, then, is to think of how a house meets the earth and the sky, something this house addresses through its foundation and roof.
The most overt design gesture from the street is the roof that cantilevers above freestanding orange walls (orange because the clients are Dutch, the architects assert). These overhangs shelter an outdoor space at the front of the house, while also shading the large glazed openings on this side.
The second thing that is apparent is the way the house is sunken into the landscape. The main living floor is up a half level from the walkway, while the children’s bedrooms and family room are downstairs. Even if the decision to place the floors in this manner had a practical reason, I interpret it as a move to root the building in its place, something reinforced by the raising of the living spaces up high and keeping most of the bedrooms near the ground (an inversion of the typical two-story residential layout, in which the bedrooms are upstairs and the living spaces are on the ground floor).
The second thing that is apparent is the way the house is sunken into the landscape. The main living floor is up a half level from the walkway, while the children’s bedrooms and family room are downstairs. Even if the decision to place the floors in this manner had a practical reason, I interpret it as a move to root the building in its place, something reinforced by the raising of the living spaces up high and keeping most of the bedrooms near the ground (an inversion of the typical two-story residential layout, in which the bedrooms are upstairs and the living spaces are on the ground floor).
Here is a look at the upper floor plan, where the entrance, kitchen, living space and master bedroom are located. The approach to the house is via the angled walk at the right, past the covered porch. Note how the side walls are predominantly solid, minus a side entrance just above the stairs in the middle of the plan, and a window by the bridge opposite. The narrow site and allowable footprint of the house, as well as the nearby neighbors, made the choice of windows on the short side logical. Daylight therefore reaches both ends of the house, and the center is aided by the windows near the stair and by the skylights and clerestories above the adjacent master bath, as we’ll see later.
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