Architecture Wednesday: The Mill House

The design of the Mill House addresses a need to link a cluster of three sperate buildings, including a mill room dating to around the mid-to-late 16th century, into one residence surrounding an open courtyard.

While the ground level looks out to the courtyard and is home to the dining and living areas., the courtyard is the connecting agent, linking each of the three disparate spaces. Part of that occurs thanks to a glazed second floor walkway that connects the three volumes. Invisible from the street, the walkway is both hidden and yet a bold reflective layer of contrast between old and new. It forms a lustrous perimeter that carries users from one living block to another and the glazing graduates from solid reflection to sheer translucency throughout the day, its opacity moderating with the sun’s changing light. In the morning, it reflects the courtyard’s stonework while at night, its glazed corridor is internally lit, illuminating the pool area below and revealing movements of its inhabitants as they travel from one bedroom to another.

I love the use of the old arched volumes for living and kitchen areas, but really love the modern touch of shimmering glass hallway that hangs above the courtyard. It really makes the home the best of both, or all three, worlds.

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