TR+2 StudioHouse


The TR+2 StudioHouse is conceived for open-ended flexibility of use. It incorporates a series of places that are varied and dynamic, so that functions are interchangeable. Walls slide out of the way, curtains subdivide or screen areas, and spaces transform to respond to climatic or programmatic changes.

A pair of platforms is embedded in an east-sloping site; a pair of containers perches above. The south and west edges of the lower platform, an auto/sport court, are set into the slope, wrapped by a concrete retaining wall and a ramp to the upper platform. To the north, a steel and glass container with one wall of semi-transparent solar panels encloses a studio/guest house perched above the platform on four columns. The covered outdoor space/carport is wrapped by a scrim of curtains and frames a view to the mountains.

Forming the primary indoor and outdoor living spaces of the project, the upper platform is cut into the hill on two sides, and projects out of the hill and over the planted concrete roof of the guest apartment below. Glass walls, both fixed and sliding, wrap the concrete floors of the main living area. Kitchen equipment is on legs lifted above the floor, and furniture is on wheels for flexible rearrangement. Sitting on a grid of sixteen round columns, the nine-square upper container, which is also the ceiling of the main level, encompasses a series of discreet rooms wrapping a central void.