Architecture Wednesday: Suspension House

Much like a more modern Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, this ultra-modern three-bedroom, three-bath plus guesthouse California remodel is suspended between two hills, spanning a creek, with a waterfall in the backyard.

In this part of California, it is no longer legal for homes to be suspended over a creek, so the architects followed strict guidelines on how to use the existing structure as the basis for design and have the new home follow the exact outline of the existing house and decks. Rather than bearing down and disturbing the creek below, the new structural system has been anchored to the bedrock within the flanks of the hill, suspending the home completely over the water. By opening sight lines and using transparent materials, floor-to-ceiling windows, see-through floors, and open-concept outdoor spaces such as floating staircases, the natural water features are visible from the front and back of the house.

The remodel retains 50% of the existing wood structure, a steel frame was inserted beneath the original floors and now anchors the home to the rocky hillside, allowing for the removal of supporting columns from within the creek bed; this new support system is exposed on all the floors.

The first two floors follow the existing house, but the new third floor rotates 90 degrees to better relate to the site and views; this shift also breaks up the mass of the structure, giving it some height, while differentiating itself from the lower floors. Atop a steel frame, the roof—like the home itself—hovers, creating a dynamic space with lots of natural light.

And before y’all come for me, I know it’s not Fallingwater; it lacks the warmth of that house. This one is very sterile and very hard, but it is a sleek ultra-modern cousin of the FLW original.

As always, click to emBIGGERate ...

Dwell