Description
Similar to the House on Maui and the Cabernet House by Legorreta &Legorreta, this design also appeals because of its sculptural power within an extensive natural space. The house in Reno makes a particular impact because of its position as a lonely solitaire in a sweep of desert-like yet dramatically mobile countryside, like an art object relating only to itself. It is not least the formal vocabulary that makes this family refuge into a geometrically crystalline artefact amidst waves of modulated nature. Legorreta permits no doubt that the artificial human product stands for itself and for itself alone, and is admitting no concessions. The uncompromising and hence impressive contrast between the building and its surroundings and the mature, consistent formal language using simplified solids are evidence of the architects’ intimate attachment to the nature of the location. Their response, a timeless and archaic set of forms, is probably one of the most convincing solutions in the context of dramatic natural scenery.
The reason for the essentially closed appearance on the outside is very strong winds, against which protection is afforded by large walls. But there was an intention to create a place for introspection and inward calm in this powerful countryside, a kind of modern monastic home. So the rooms are seen as additive cells, articulated units that are interlinked but do not lose their sense of being a whole. The garage and–on the other side–the very long wall of a shooting gallery, the owner’s sports facility, are adjacent to a large driveway courtyard. This is followed by the entrance courtyard, the centre of the complex, with an adjacent office space. Around this courtyard are grouped areas for the kitchen with breakfast and dining room, living rooms, guest bedrooms, gallery with a chapel at the end, a library and ancillary rooms.
The upper storey accommodates the owner’s private bedrooms. A complex shaped by large horizontals thrives on the tension-filled contrast provided by vertical tower accents, and yet remains bathed in a monochrome red that saturates the entire body of the building. Windows in the form of unprofiled eyeholes shaded in black open up a directed, meditative view into the distance, and provide an internal connection with the horizon.
Drawings
Photos
Exterior view of the house from the east
Interior view of the hall with access to chapel
Internal Links
Originally published in: Klaus-Peter Gast, Living Plans: New Concepts for Advanced Housing, Birkhäuser, 2005.