Teamakers
Guest
House

“T-house” flips the typical A-frame construction to a V-frame, permitting open spaces with high ceilings, and expressing the programmatic separation of the upper-level bedrooms on one side from a double-height workshop on the other. The new form made of wood, copper, and brass, is placed sensitively on the existing barn walls with a facade that opens up on two sides of the building by means of a brise-soleil system of louvers. The renderings excellently express the project materiality and the atmosphere of both the interior and exterior conditions. The modern form and materials are balanced by a rustic farm aesthetic.

The jury was impacted by the sensitivity of the proposal to the existing barn. The designer has incorporated the remaining structure and found a new language for the barn, by topping it with a long roof that floats above a thin band of clerestory windows, and mirroring the existing stone walls with a second set of new walls clad in wood. The stone structure is programmed with large communal spaces while the new wooden structure is programmed with smaller individual guest rooms. These two enclosed halves are joined by an exterior void space for shared activities, highlighted by a large circular opening in the shared roof. The jury remarks that while the renderings express well the calmness and tranquility of the space, it would be wonderful if they could also show how dynamic the building might become when used as a workshop for group activities.

‘Leafhouse’ extends the site’s existing barn vertically with a light construction of well-crafted wooden elements. The proposal identifies the form of the building with that of a forest of trees, composed of a strong and opaque structural base topped by delicate and semi-transparent foliage. The most striking element of the design is the facade’s screen of wooden blocks strung onto metal cables, achieving the effect of a tree canopy, and allowing views to the exterior while partially shading the interior spaces. Programmatically the building is divided into three stacked space types: a ground floor workshop, a first floor common living area, and a second floor set of guest rooms. The jury encourages the designer to further develop the facade details, which are well suited for this building type and natural setting.