Aggregate of Rooms
Modern homes of the 20th century achieved their "functional form" in large part through the application of flat, monolithic roofs. One obvious consequence of this was that the ceiling heights for all the rooms in a house had to be the same. Whether a porch, a living room, a dining room, or a bedroom, every type of space was confined to the same monotonous standard. Moreover, this radical simplification disconnected a house from its context.
Site Plan
This project reverses the typical modernist relationship between a house and its rooms. Just as petals gather to form a flower, or branches shape a tree, a house should be an aggregate of rooms. In other words, this house is a collection of several rooms of varying sizes and orientations, each according to its surroundings and functional requirements, as opposed to being subordinated to a predetermined exterior form. It is not read as a monolith, but rather as an aggregate of rooms of varying proportions resulting in a richness of spatial experience and formal expression.
Ultimately, it resembles elements of nature in the way that it seeks a harmonious relationship with its surrounding environment.
Ground Floor Plan
Basement Floor Plan
Project Information
Title: Aggregate of Rooms
Location: Catskill, New York, USA
Type: House - Invited for 2021 Architectural Institute of Korea (AIK) International Architecture Exhibition
Year: 2021