セレブなお家／Berkshire Residence

A bit of a change today, from the neon-lit alleys of Tokyo to a gorgeous house in Dallas, TX (where I’ve never been).

東京の極限状態の狭さの中で生活していると、こういう家のデザインをどうのこうのいう以前に、その贅沢なレイアウトに唖然としてしまう…　こんな家ばかり並べられたらアーキテクチュアル・ダイジェストを見るようでげんなりしてしまいそうだけど、こうして一軒だけ見るのは悪くないですね。一週間でいいから、こんな家に暮らしてみたい…　結構好きになるかもしれません。

この家があるテキサス州のダラスになど行ったこともありませんが、聞くところによれば、全米でも最も金満度の高いところだとか。ダラスの社交界というのは、ニューヨークのそれとは一線を画するのだということも何かで読みました。石油で財を成した大富豪がごろごろと居るところらしいです。勿論この家は、そういう方々の豪邸と比べたら質素でつつましやかなものなのでしょうけど。

この家を設計した事務所の方からは、高級ホテル施設と「ミニマル」な住宅を専門にしているという紹介をいただきました。ふーむ…これがダラスのミニマルか、と、少し戸惑いのような気持ちを持ったのですが、例えばカルバン・クラインのような皮相浅薄なデザインを、ミニマルの典型のように思っているアメリカ人の感覚よりはずっとマシな気がします。ダラスの社交界というものの違いもそのあたりにあるのかもしれない、などと勝手な想像をしてしいます。そういうゴージャスな世界を垣間みてみたいという興味が沸きますけど、所詮大工のあたしにゃ縁のないことか…（下呂）
 

Project: Berkshire Residence
Architecture Firm: Morrison Seifert Murphy
Architect: Lionel Morrison, FAIA
Location: Dallas, Texas

Year of Completion: 2002
Structural System: Wood framing w/ structural steel at some headers
Site Area: 1 Acre
Construction/Floor Area: 5500 sq. ft.

This site is in a traditional single-family neighborhood with large mature trees in front and a busy thoroughfare in the rear. These opportunities and limitations became the genesis of the design of the house.

The plan of the house is a U-shape that turns its back toward the noisy thoroughfare
and opens to a courtyard that is shaded by the existing canopy of trees. The mass of the house shields and protects the courtyard from traffic noise beyond. The courtyard is the soul of the house with most of the rooms on the ground level opening directly onto it.

The act of discovery is deliberately orchestrated beginning with a broken pathway leading past a tall, sentinel-like stucco wall to the front gate of teak set into translucent glass sidelights. Beyond the gate one traverses a covered walkway enjoying views of the courtyard and the spaces that surround it en-route to the front door. Upon entering, a gallery is revealed that opens to a display of outdoor sculpture and thus punctuates the entry sequence. Finally from the main living space adjacent to the entry gallery an axial perspective of the courtyard is revealed and the entire concept becomes apparent.

By virtue of the large sliding doors from the living room and sliding pocket doors from the master suite and cabana, the indoor and outdoor spaces become one. The flexibility of this arrangement makes the home perfectly suited to daily living as well as large scale entertaining by the owners.

This is the only modern home in this neighborhood and probably the largest. I chose the dark, gray-green color in order to make the house blend into the existing canopy and to visually diminish its size. This house, in my more typical white rendition, would have overpowered the neighborhood. As completed, the house is a good neighbor, blending as planned with the trees and looking wonderful against the bright blue Texas sky.