PanamaTimes

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

An Artfully Crafted Boulder Home Glows From Within a Charcoal Exterior

An Artfully Crafted Boulder Home Glows From Within a Charcoal Exterior

Drawing inspiration from artist Robert Kelly, Studio B creates a simple yet bold home that explores ideas of layering and translucency.

The paintings of Robert Kelly appear as strict depictions of dark, geometric shapes on pale backgrounds. Close up, they reveal a subtle layering: Kelly paints his opaque circles and squares over indistinct collages of found material, including vintage film posters, printed antique paper, and weather charts.

Studio B sought to establish a similar dynamic with Vista Drive Pavilion, an elegant black box that houses a complex of brightly lit, semitranslucent spaces.

            

Even the exterior-a wire-brushed, black-stained STK Cedar-has layers, with a cloak of solar paneling on the south-facing roof, and a sheath of weatherproofing on all sides. The 14-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the roof is cleverly integrated into the architectural form, while the angle and orientation maximize the efficiency of the panels throughout the day.



Just as the geometric shapes in Kelly’s paintings appear to hover in space, the Vista Drive Pavilion seems to float lightly in its simple landscape.

"In the evening," says Mike Piché, principal at Studio B, "the blackened exterior fades into the darkness, leaving a uniform glow where the portals occur. What remains is a black, floating silhouette containing a collage of form and light."



Piché attributes this quality to the added thickness of the insulation, which ends just above ground level. The thick outer layer also allowed Studio B to build the downspouts directly into the siding for a smooth exterior.

Like Kelly's paintings, the home borrows from a variety of sources. The immediate neighborhood has a "park-like" vibe, few sidewalks, yards that flow into one another, and midcentury single-story homes. Within this setting, the team conceived of a concrete-and-glass pavilion that sits comfortably in its landscape and is accessible from all sides.



"We talked a lot about Eero Saarinen’s Miller House in Columbus, Indiana," says Piché. The Miller House, a midcentury architectural icon, inspired "the posture" of the Vista Drive Pavilion, as well as its surrounding garden.

"The exterior floating stairs are also uniquely midcentury," explains Piché, adding that they’re reminiscent of the Farnsworth House and Crown Hall, both by Mies van der Rohe. Thus, the team imagined Vista Drive Pavilion as a modern house that "responds to the neighborhood without replicating the past."



Just as Kelly explores simple shapes in his paintings, Studio B played with the exterior simplicity and interior complexity of a trapezoid. From the front entrance, the home appears to be a flat-roofed box. But inside, Studio B allowed the ceiling to follow the surprisingly varied roofline. "The subtle angles created some interesting geometries and spatial richness," says Piché.

The ceilings rise to peak height over the home’s common spaces, while the bedrooms and office spaces are more intimate with slightly lower ceilings. In keeping with the variegated ceiling height, Studio B varied the flow and shape of the living spaces. Thus, the common spaces wind throughout the home, each with a window or steps to the exterior.



In his artworks, Kelly makes a sharp contrast between his dark geometric shapes and the ivory or white background. Here too, Studio B contrasts the solidly black exterior with a bright interior. The design team painted the walls and ceilings a pure white and matched pale wood furniture with white oak floors.

Located at the very core of the home, the kitchen is a large, dark block that both draws focus and separates the front of the house from the living room and backyard. The dining room on the other side of the kitchen is more connected to the front yard, front porch, and street with large glass walls and decorative lighting.

The house is open enough that the kitchen has views out to the exterior windows on all sides. In turn, light from four sides penetrates the space throughout the day and reflects up the sloped ceilings.



To mimic the levels of layering and transparency in Robert Kelly’s paintings, the team installed slatted, semitransparent walls that layer light throughout the day. "We wanted the space and light to flow freely from one room to the next," Piché explains. "The slats helped us do that, while at the same time keeping certain areas intimate and defined."

Even the below-grade ground floor-which includes a media room, a gym, two bedrooms, and a storage space-is flush with light. Studio B accomplished this with a large skylight just above the staircase, vertical metal slats to keep the stairwell open, and, in the lower rooms, deep window wells.



Studio B did not let stylistic choices detract from their fundamental commitment to sustainability. From the native grasses and low-maintenance shrubs to the original, mature trees, they embraced the local landscape. They also selected locally available building materials, including recyclable and biodegradable wood. Finally, the solar panels and sheath of insulation make the home energy efficient all year round.

Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Global Law Enforcement Dismantles Lockbit Ransomware Operation
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
The President of Argentina Javier Mile does not fly private, he flies commercial, with the citizens he represents. And they LOVE him for it.
Bitcoin Reaches $50,000 for First Time in Over Two Years
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's Rising Carnival Hotspot for 2024
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Tucker’s interview with Putin is over 50M views on X within the first 5 hours.
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
President Nayib Bukele has proudly announced El Salvador's remarkable achievement of becoming the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera Dies in Helicopter Crash
This farmer seems to understand science a bit more than the event organizer, Klaus Schwab.
Facebook turns 20: From Mark Zuckerberg's dormitory to a $1trn company
The Coolest Dictator in the World" on the Path to Victory in El Salvador
Macron, France and fake news
Indian-Origin Man 'King' Arrested For Smuggling $16 Million Drugs Into US
Can someone teach Americans that not every person with slanted eyes is Chinese?
Europe's Farmers Feeding the People, Protesting Against Politicians Who Do Nothing for Their Country and Serve Only Themselves at Taxpayers' Expense
Paris Restaurant That Inspired 'Ratatouille' Loses $1.6 Million Worth Of Wine
Brazilian Police Investigate Bolsonaro's Son for Alleged Illegal Spying
Police in Brazil Raid Residence of Bolsonaro Associate Over Allegations of Illegal Spying
Border Dispute Escalates as Texas Governor Vows Increased Razor Wire
OpenAI Enhances ChatGPT-4 Model, Potentially Addressing AI "Laziness" Issue
The NSA finally acknowledges spying on Americans by acquiring sensitive data
Report Reveals Toxic Telegram Group Generating X-Rated AI-Generated Fake Images of Taylor Swift
US Border Patrol States 'No Plans' to Remove Razor Wire Installed in Texas
Bitcoin Experiences Approximately 20% Decline in Value
Klaus Schwab recently appointed himself as the Earth's "trustee of the future."
DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump.
Nikki Haley said former President Trump is "just not at the same level" of mental fitness as he was while president in 2016.
Residents of a southern Mexican town set the government palace on fire in response to the police killing of a young man
Samsung Launches AI-Driven Galaxy S24, Ushering in New Smartphone Era
Judge Questions SEC's Regulatory Overreach in Coinbase Lawsuit
The Ecuador prosecutor who was investigating the television studio attack, has been assassinated.
Is artificial intelligence the solution to cyber security threats?
Vivek Ramaswamy suspends his US election campaign and endorses Trump.
Viral Satire: A Staged Satirical Clip Mistaken as Real Footage from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos
The AI Revolution in the Workforce: CEOs at Davos Predict Major Job Cuts in 2024
Ecuador Reports 178 Hostages in Prison Gang Standoff
The Startling Cuban Espionage Case That Has Rattled the US Government
Two Armed Men in Ecuador, Dressed as Batman and The Joker Storm the Streets.
Armed Gang Raids Ecuadorian TV Station Following State of Emergency Declaration
Anti-Democratic Canada: Journalist Arrested for Questioning Canadian Finance Minister on Support of Terrorist Group
Ecuador's 'Most-Wanted' Criminal Vanishes from Prison
Mexican Cartel Supplied Wi-Fi to Locals Under Threat of Fatal Consequences for Non-Compliance
Border Surge Leads to Over 11,000 Migrants Waiting in Northern Mexico
Outsider Candidates Triumph in Latin American Elections
As Argentina Goes to the Polls, Will the Proposal to Replace the Peso with the Dollar Secure Votes?
Fatal Shark Attack Claims Life of Boston Woman Paddleboarding Near Bahamas Resort, According to Police
×