史密斯住宅康尼狄克州达润城1967年.docx

史密斯住宅康尼狄克州达润城1967年.docx

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史密斯住宅康尼狄克州达润城1967年

原文：

SmithHouse,Darien,Connecticut.1967

HouseinOldWestbury,LongIsland,NewYork.1971

Keywords:

privateresidences,architecturalideas,circulationpaths,bearingwall,framingsystem,spiralstaircase

RichardMeierissomethingofaphenomenoninAmericanarchitecture.TheseandotherofhismanyprojectswouldtellmuchaboutMeier’sarchitecture,buthisuniqueandhighlypersonalapproachisperhapsbestexpressedinagrowingbodyofextraordinary,single-familyprivateresidences.

Becausetherearefewmysteriesintheprogramforahouse,itcanoccupyauniquepositioninanarchitectswork;itcan,ineffect,standtestamenttohisarchitecturaltheoriesanddesignideas.Buteventhoughthisprogrammaybewellunderstood,theformthatresults,asMeier’sworkclearlyshows,maybehighlyintricateandcomplex.Twoofhishousesareshownhere;theyhaveemergeddirectlyfrom,andareinextricablyboundto,acomplicated,highlypersonalrepertoireofarchitecturalideas.

TheSmithhouseinDarien,Connecticut,andthemuchlargerhouseinOldWestbury,NewYork,althoughquitedissimilarinmanyrespects,findsomecommonantecedentsintheworkandthoughtofLeCorbusier.Thisisperhapsmostreadilyseenintheuseofagridsystemofcolumnsthatsupportsthehorizontalplanes,andthusliberatesthewallsoftheirsupportivefunctionandfreesthemforuseonlyasameansofenclosure.Althoughbearingwallsareusedattheentryplaneofbothhouses,andelsewhereintheSmithhouse,theensuingclaritybroughtaboutbythecolumnstructuralsystemallowsspacestobefreelydisposedwithintheinteriorvolume.Consequently,inbothhousestheformoftheplanshiftsfromlevelasthevolumeshifts.

Inbothhousestheinterplayoflight,bothinsideandoutside,hasbeenofparamountconcern,butparticularattentionhasbeengiventothebalanceofinteriornaturallight.Eachhouseisorientedsomorningsunlightentersthebedroomsandthesofter,afternoonlightcomesintothelivingareas.Butthemovementofthesunhasfurtherimplicationsforthesehouses.Bothofthemarepaintedwhite,ontheexteriorandintheinterior,toreflectthevariouscolorsofnaturallightatdifferenttimesoftheday.This,Meiersays,bringsthehousesintocontrastwithnature,therebyreinforcingitspresence.Thewhiteness,headds,alsohelpsonetoperceivethecolorsofnature,inalloftheirchangingmanifestations.

Inbothhouses,Meierhasrespondedinasimilaranddirectmannertotheclients’needsforacleardivisionbetweenthemoreprivate,intimateandclosedspacesandthelarge,morepublicopenspaces.Inbothhousestheseparationbetweenthesedifferentkindsofspacesiscontrolledandmediatedbyacomplexsystemofverticalandhorizontalcirculationpaths,whichconsequentlyhavebecomethedominantorganizingdeviceswithineachhouse.Thecirculationpaths,inotherwords,nolongerserveonlythesimplefunctionalrequirementneededforpassagefromoneplacetoanother;instead,theyassumethemuchlargerpurposeofcontrollingandorderingahighlycoherentandinterconnectedsystemofmovementandflowthroughoutthevariouslevelsandzoneswithintheorganismofthehouse.

SMITHHOUSE

TheSmithhousewascompletedin1967forafamilywithtwochildren.Itsstructuralsystemisorganizedaroundwood-framedbearingwallssurroundingtheenclosedhalfofthehouse;intheopen,livingspacesalineofevenly-placedsteelcolumnssupportbeamsatoneend,whichreturntothebearingwallforsupportattheotherend.

Intheorientationofthehousetothesite,andwithintheplanandthevolumeofthehouseitself,acomplicatedanddynamicinteractionexistsintheoppositionssetupbetweenthediagonalandtheorthogonal,andbetweentheconceptsofopenversusthatofclosed.Oneofthesepairsofoppositionscannotbediscussedwithoutconsideringtheother,becausetogethertheyformahighlydisciplinedconceptualframeworkthatestablishesthebasicmood,organizationandorientationofthehouse.

Onenteringthesite,progressionisthroughadense,closedgroupingoftreesshieldingadrivethatisindiagonalrelationshiptothesite,butwhichsoonturnsbeforefinallyterminatingatthegarage,whichisorthogonallyrelatedtothesitebutwhichisdiagonallyrelatedtothehouse.Thegarageisturnedprecisely45degreesfromthehouse,andfromitswalkway,whichreturnstoanorientationdiagonaltothesite,onetransversesthesitethroughanopenspacebeforeendingatrightangle,squarelyinfrontoftheessentiallysolidandclosedentryplaneofthehouse.Here,thesenseofenclosureandprivacyisfurtherheightenedbytwolargetreesoneachsideoftheentryplane;theycontinuethesenseofthebarrierandconceptuallystabilizethefrontalplaneofthehouse.

Thehouseitself,whichisthedominantformonthesite,isplacedonthediagonal.Insidethevolumeofthehouseanotherdiagonalisestablishedinlongitudinalsectionthroughtheoverhangingtraysofthelivingroomandlibraryoverthediningarea.Butwhiletherearenodiagonalsactuallybuiltintotheplan,thecirculationpathsareconceptuallyrelatedtoanimplieddiagonalthatextendsfromthefront,interiorstairstotherear,exteriorstairs.

Whilethediagonal-orthogonalrelationshipmaybeastronginfluenceonthesiteandontheformsplacedonit,themaininfluencewithinthehouseisseenintheoppositionsthatexistbetweentheideasofopenandclose,publicandprivate,solidandtransparent.Movementthroughoutthehouse,andthedispositionofspaceswithinit,arebasedonastrongorthogonalpattern,butthedominateideathatemergesisoneofopenversusclosed.

Movementbeginsatthesolid,closedentryplane,followedbyazoneofessentiallyprivateandenclosedrooms.Next,progressionisintothetransitionalareaofcirculation,andfinallyoutintothehigh,transparentlivingareathatliterallyseemstoexplodetotheoutside.Butthedialoguebetweenopenandclose,transparentandsolid,doesnotstophere,forMeierhascarriedthisoppositiontotheinteriorwallswhere,whenvisionispossibleinonedirection,itisnotpossibleintheoppositedirection.

Infact,foreveryactioninthehouse,thereisacounterresponse.Asenseofpushingandpullinghasbeenestablishedthroughoutthevolumeofthehouse,bothinplanandinsection.Theentry,forinstance,seemstopushintothehouse.Inreactiontoit,thefireplacepullsoutoftheotherside.Insection,theenclosureontheroofleadingtotheroofgardenispulledfromthehouseverticallyinreactiontothepushinginoftheentry.Andintherelationshipbetweenthelayeringofspaceswithintheinteriorvolume,anenclosedspaceononeplanemaybemetbyavoidonanotherplane.

Ultimately,andsomewhatincredibly,alloftheseconceptsarecoherentlybroughttogether—thetensions,dynamics,contrastsandoppositionsthatoccurthroughoutthesiteandwithinthehouse—intoanastonishingrichnesswhere,RichardMeiersays,“somethinghappensinwhatisotherwiseafairlysimple,box-likebuilding.”

HOUSEINOLDWESTBURY

ThemuchlargerhouseinOldWestbury,NewYork,wascompletedin1971forafamilywithsixyoungchildren.Structurally,itiscomposedofsteelcolumnsinarigidgridpattern,steelbeamsandframingsystemand,asintheSmithhouse,abearingwallthatestablishestheplaneenclosingtheprivatesideofthehousefromtheoutside.

Thehousehasbeenplaceddeepintothegentlyslopingsite,whichwasformerlyusedasapastureforgrazingcattle.Theorientationofthehouseappearsstrangeayfirst;butwhiletheremayseemtobeacontradictioninturningthehousetofacethepublicroad,adensebarrieroftreesshieldsitfromtheview.Furthermore,andmoreimportantly,thisorientationallowsmorningsunlightintothebedroomsandallowsthehousetotakeadvantageofthepastoralviewacrossthemeadowtothepond.

Onenteringtheland,onefirstseesthehouseobliquely,setagainstadarkbackgroundoftrees,restinglightlyontheedgeofanaturalclearing.Thehouseissitedinastraightforward,orthogonalmannerthatisestablishedbythepublicroadandbyanatural,linearplaneoftreesinfrontandinbackofthehouse.AsusualinMeier’sresidentialwork,thenaturalcharacteristicsofthelandwerealteredaslittleaspossible;onlyafewtreeswereremovedfromthedriveway,thepondwasslightlyreshapedandthegradewasraisedslightlytobringthelivingareaofthehousetoanelevationthatwouldoverlookthepond.

Becausethefamilyoftenentertainsguests,includingthechildren’sfriendsandgrandparents,andbecausetheyhaveastuffwholiveonthepremises,anunusuallylargenumberofbedrooms—eleven—andbathswererequired.Thenatureoftheserepetitiveelements,coupledwiththefamily’sdesiretobeabletomaintainasenseofawarenessandvisualcommunicationwitheachotherinthelargehouse,indicatedthatthemaincirculationrouteshouldbecomethemajororganizingelementofthedesign.Consequently,itwasgivenastronglinearexpression.Ramps,whicharerarelyconsideredappropriateforresidentialuse,havebeeneffectivelyandintelligentlyusedtoextendthecirculationintotheverticaldimension,thusofferingrichvisualpossibilitieswhileprovidingahighlycoherentcontinuityofmovementthroughoutthehouse.

ConceptuallysimilartothesmallerSmithhouse,theinteriorhereisalsoorganizedaccordingtoanorthogonalpattern.Roomsofamoreprivatenature,thosewithrepetitiveandserviceelements,aretightlyorganizedintoaseriesofsingle-levelspacesoffofthemaincirculationaxisofeachlevel.Incontrast,thepub