I hadn't seen the other side of this before, or the interiors. The entry is as fantastic as the rest of it. Awesome spaces. Sweet project.

Posted by: k.w.perry on Jul 08, 09 | 8:26 pm

i love how it tapers to the back from the entrance, forward.
Also, nice writing studio and lib. better/bigger/more designed than many homes

Posted by: namhenderson on Jul 08, 09 | 9:04 pm

This is how the rich write?

Posted by: slowertrainspotter on Jul 09, 09 | 9:13 am

Only if poets and writers set themselves tasks that no one else dare imagine will literature continue to have a function.-italo calvino

Posted by: vado retro on Jul 09, 09 | 11:41 am

We call two hours west of NYC on Long Island, The Hamptons. It's where the stuningly rich have their Summer "Cottages". Far away from dirt and toil and people who have to work for a living.

The library is beautiful to be sure, but I can't help thinking a little self-indulgent.

Posted by: Rogue on Jul 10, 09 | 10:14 pm

I guess this is what is meant by cerebral architecture? Maybe if one were to experience the building in person, the sense of ritual, calm, focus and inspiration that the architect explains in the video would be understood. This is a building trying to prove something; wanting to be better than, what..... Philip Johnson's estate; the cantilevers of Falling Water or Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Library? The main space could easily be the corner office of an investment banker except for the treed view and absent massive central desk. For me it is a building born dead and I suspect that this is not the fault of the architect. Hopefully, with use, it will gain character and spirit. Richmon

Posted by: richmon on Jul 11, 09 | 6:45 am

Makes me think of Nietzsche's room in Sils Maria.

Posted by: Hansrudolf on Jul 11, 09 | 10:46 am

"I have always enjoyed photographing loners. When I was covering sport it was boxers in
their gyms. Now I'm older, I enjoy photographing writers, poets and artists. The one thing
they all have in common is that they work alone." - Eamonn McCabe

In a new exhibition, award winning photographer Eamonn McCabe, draws together
a selection of works from his project illustrating the working environments of novelists,
biographers and poets.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7754115.stm

Posted by: Orhan Ayyüce on Jul 11, 09 | 11:21 am

A building "born dead".....harsh words for a definitely outstanding project in a world of mediocre and cheap architecture.

For me the project has an accomplished sculptural quality in a beautiful natural setting. The slot in the roof plane expresses the fold and the beginning of the focussing of the space towards the opening at the end.

The interior detailing of the furniture in-builts is quite clean, but for me cannot quite keep up with the sculptural purity of the shell. There is a certain residential quality that crept in, that just took away enough to make this an "outstanding project" but not a GREAT piece of architecture. To be clear when I say "great" I mean "great" with capital G. Still pretty close! My congratulations to the Architect.
g|F

Posted by: g|f on Jul 11, 09 | 11:56 am

g|F- Yes about the creeping residentiality. I wasn't sure what it was, not to take away from the project of course, but something was up. Maybe its the built-ins PLUS the huge flat screen. A superbowl party could possibly happen here. Nevertheless, born dead? Trying to prove something? I think its pretty quietly tucked away in some rich lady's backyard and doing a nice job of it. Maybe not so dramatic as trying to upstage the Seattle Public Library...

Posted by: k.w.perry on Jul 11, 09 | 10:40 pm

I don't know about this one. It looks pretty cool, but it doesn't seem all that practical. If I had that much land and was building a second floor workspace I wouldn't want to be staring at trees 30feet away. I would want to let my eyese wander far across the horizon as I am working. As a writer I would think that would be pretty important to get into that space a distant view can bring you into mentally.

Also the actual workspace is devoid of cabinets and other important office facilities. The one thing I always think when I see a desk with a book a peice of paper and a pen is, "we'll come back and take a look after 2 weeks and when she isn't expecting us" I can almost guarantee there will be papers all over the place and other things because there isn't a convenient location in which to put them.

Posted by: misticism on Jul 12, 09 | 10:51 am

After having watched the video, hearing the architect speak about the motives and intentions that drove this piece, I feel that I agree (somewhat) more with the outcome.
Something that I don't necessarily agree with is that the outside of the building could be completely separate from the interior. The images of the exterior seem like they could belong to a different project alltogether, when paired with the interior images. I feel that the exterior of a building should correlate directly with its interior... If I were to see this building with that in mind, I would think the interior to be cold and drab, which is not the case. I truly appreciate the character of the interior; its play on light mixed with the warm wood and views to the outside... I can definitely see this as a place that fosters creativity. I would have liked to see more of this interior character expressed through to the exterior. What about any decks or areas that mix the inside with the outside? I understand that privacy was a large part of the drive in the design, but I would think that someone suffering from writer's block would need areas of differing atmospheres to help the creative process.

And what about sustainability? What are the numbers and how does the copper effect things like insulation? Was there any consideration to natural cooling or cross-ventilation?

Also, I wonder how hard it would be to get in that door when the snow falls off the roof in the winter and blocks it...

Posted by: Jlc on Jul 13, 09 | 12:43 pm

I am not sure if this place is going to make the occupant a better writer or critic, but it sure is a beautiful space to escape in. It is an escape pod, for better or worse. The space certainly nods to Rem, as an intimate Casa De Musica.

We could all sit around and criticize it for a variety of reasons, but I am sure many of us would love to have such a sanctuary. It seems to suggest origami and other far eastern influences and i wonder if the client was interested in Japanese or Korean culture?

Posted by: Nico Null on Sep 27, 09 | 3:57 pm