TR-1 House and Studio


The TR-1 House and Studio is conceived as a laboratory to test ideas about light, space, and material. The elements of the project divide into two typologies: habitable walls that define the site, and volumes that define hierarchically important spaces positioned at places of special advantage. Two-story lichen-colored rough cement plaster walls, linked by poured-in-place concrete walls and stairs, define a walled courtyard. These walls establish a bounded space for family activities and an armature for the series of one-story smooth plaster and metal volumes. The interlocking volumes establish a dialogue between a collection of elements with distinct qualities: solid or void, light or heavy, open or closed, rooted to the ground or additive.

The house and studio are one room deep, and transparent and white glass allows sunlight into the interior from all sides. A skylight supported by exposed joists over the stair brings light into the center of the house. In contrast, concrete walls and natural concrete floors anchor the house and studio to the ground and provide a sense of ambiguity and extension between inside and outside.


Awards:
LA/AIA Design Merit Award, 2002
Concrete House of the Year, Cornerstone Award, 2001