Douglas House

Richard Meier – Douglas House – Harbor Springs-Michigan USA, 1971-1973

The Douglas House is situated on a secluded site that slopes down to Lake Michigan. The slope of the land from the road to the water is so steep that the house appears to have been carved into the site, a crafted object perched in a natural world. The entrance to the house is set back from the building. The steep slope of the land requires the house to be entered at roof level, taking the form of a flying bridge that appears to cut off the top of the front plane.
The east side, facing the street, is the private zone, protected by a stretched white membrane pierced by square openings and horizontally striped windows. The roof-level bridge accentuates the unobstructed flow of space between this wall and the hill, and is experienced as an active void that further seals the private zone from the street.
Once inside the entry vestibule, views open west to the living and dining levels and out to a large roof deck overlooking Lake Michigan. As in the Smith and Hoffman houses, the living room fireplace is directly across from the entry, but in this case it is two stories lower. At roof level, its stainless steel chimneys act as a foil to the entry and frame the view. Horizontal circulation moves along four open corridors, stacked one above the other behind a screen wall. Interior and exterior stairways provide vertical passage at the corners.
Source: www.richardmeier.com