Glistening, Industrial Outdoor and Inside
Recently I wrote about a house where the architect was also the programmer. How about a situation in which the architect and builder are just one and the same? Such is the case with this Martinek House, also called the Pivot-Slide House, so called because of the glass doors that pivot and slip open to link inside and outside.
Design-build firm 180 Levels worked with the clients to construct a new house on their property of 15 decades, more than doubling the square footage and providing a number of courtyards of a variety of sizes and orientations.
in a Glance
Who lives here: A household of 4
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Size: 3,200 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 31/2 bathrooms
Photography by Jim Christy Studios
180 degrees
From the street the modern residence consists of a set of parallel walls. From front to rear: Gabion walls define the carport (right) and entry (left — note how the next gabion wall is taller to offer solitude); concrete block walls are in the front of the house; a stucco-covered wall on the next floor pops up.
180 degrees
To create a larger house in an area of predominantly one-story ranches, 180 Degrees needed to apply for a lot of variances, six of them shown here. All were granted. Though the house is taller and heavier compared to its neighbours, it respects the setbacks, with just the carport with canopy inserted in the front yard.
“Because we are involved from the beginning, we have a full understanding of exactly what the end goal is and why,” says John Anderson in 180 Degrees. “This results in a decision-making procedure that’s much quicker and more fluid.”
Even through the phase of zoning approval, the firm was considering cost and construction, with an eye on maintaining quality throughout the early decisions and approvals.
180 degrees
The house is essentially a U-shape deal with a courtyard and pool in the middle. Furthermore, there is a smaller entrance courtyard (labeled 9 on the diagram) between the master bedroom (7) and exercise area (10). The next story shades the pool and courtyard, a significant feature from the desert.
180 degrees
As shown from the first photograph, a carport sits to the right of this entry. From here we may observe the canopy shading the cars (arguably greater than a entire enclosure from the hot and arid climate) and the metal wall separating both the personal and public sides of the front yard. The door on the right leads to the kitchen plus a small storage closet accessed from the exterior.
180 degrees
The way to the front door shows much of what is occurring (therefore the 7-foot-tall gabion wall); you can look through the image window and pivoting glass doors to the courtyard beyond. We can even see from here that the stair is treated as a distinctive element.
180 degrees
Really, the stair takes center point, setting smaller zones within the open living room and showing off a few of their artful construction (found in detail at the end of the ideabook).
Even though the exterior is coated in concrete cubes, the interior is not limited to semi-industrial tendencies. Sure, it’s concrete flooring, but the warmth, wood, metals and coloured glass (observable beyond the kitchen) give the inside a sleek but warm feeling.
180 degrees
In this view from the pool back toward the living room and entrance we can see why the architect-builders call it the Pivot-Slide House: Three doors next to the sofas in the living area open to link indoors and outside, along with the glass wall from the kitchen island slides to open the house to the courtyard.
180 degrees
Here we view the coloured glass wall separating the dining area from the kitchen. The overhead metallic plane concealing drop lights seems to cut through the glass, a wonderful touch.
180 degrees
The house is full of interesting openings, such as this one between the hall leading to the master bedroom along with the swimming pool courtyard. The timber doors give a wonderful rhythm to the hallway and produce an interesting backdrop for the courtyard.
180 degrees
An interesting detail are available in the master bathroom, where the vanity expands from inside to outside the home. (We are looking in from a little side yard accessible from the master bedroom.) This shelf provides a wonderful location for a drink.
180 degrees
The majority of the windows are characterized by concrete block walls, meaning they are inserted into walls or are set back from wing walls. 1 exception is the stair, which projects slightly into the courtyard. Here 180 Degrees utilized frameless corner windows.
180 degrees
This last glance in the house is a detail of this stair, specifically the landing, in which the timber planks intersect the metal stringer.
Both the notching of the timber as well as the alternating dark and light strips are nice touches at a home with a varied palette of materials, spaces and relations between indoors and out.