Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, United States
Johnsen Schmaling Architects
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
The Ferrous House sits in a row of unexceptional 1970′s ranches, part of a narrow subdivision hugging the edge of a wooded nature preserve west of
Milwaukee. An existing dwelling that had fallen into serious disrepair was entirely gutted and stripped of its roof, but the limited construction budget required the reuse of the existing foundation, main perimeter walls, and plumbing cores.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
The main level of the house, a simple rectangular volume with 1,380 sf of living space, is wrapped on three sides with a suspended curtain of
weathering steel panels, their warm color of ferrous corrosion echoing the hues of the derelict
farm equipment left behind on the area’s abandoned pastures. The steel wrapper protects the inside of the house from the scrutiny of suspicious neighbors and the elements; in the back, it extends beyond the building’s perimeter, where it shelters the sides of a linear south-facing patio.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
Linear storage boxes, containing built-in closet systems and living room cabinetry, penetrate the steel curtain and cantilever over the edge of the building, adding desperately needed square footage without altering the original footprint of the house.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
In a carefully choreographed entry sequence, wide exterior stairs run along the front of the house and lead into a glazed foyer, an extension of the main circulation core that transforms into a small observatory above the roof. The slightly tilted roof plane is supported by a filigree of exposed metal and wood trusses, adding height to the living spaces and allowing northern light to wash the inside of the house through a translucent, Nanogel-filled glass band. At night, the window band radiates its warm light into the distance, subtly evoking the iconic clerestory glow of the dairy barns that once dotted the region.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
The Ferrous House offers a resource-conscious solution to the challenges of an aging, and often ill-conceived, suburban housing stock. In contrast to a radical tabula rasa approach, the project demonstrates how the bones of an obsolete building can be utilized and transformed into the framework for a contemporary dwelling.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Doug Edmunds |
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| floor plan--drawing Courtesy of Johnsen Schmaling Architects |
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| expolded axo--drawing Courtesy of Johnsen Schmaling Architects |
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| diagram--drawing Courtesy of Johnsen Schmaling Architects |
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| models--drawing Courtesy of Johnsen Schmaling Architects |
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| models section--drawing Courtesy of Johnsen Schmaling Architects |
The people
Architect: Johnsen Schmaling Architects
Location: Spring Prairie, Wisconsin, United States
Project team: Brian Johnsen, AIA; Sebastian Schmaling, AIA; Nick Woods
Area: 125.4 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photography: Doug Edmunds
The product
Bathroom Equipment: Kohler
Bathroom plumbing fittings by Kohler
Bathroom plumbing fixtures by Kohler
Construction materials, Semi-finished materials: Caesarstone, Owens Corning, Georgia-Pacific
Countertops by Caesarstone
Insulation by Owens Corning
Sheathing by Georgia-Pacific
Facades: CorTen Steel
Exterior siding by CorTen Steel
Floor: Armstrong
Flooring by Armstrong
Joinery: Eagle, Clopay, Nanawall, Haefele
Windows by Eagle
Garage doors by Clopay
Patio doors by Nanawall
Hardware by Haefele
Kitchen Equipment: Sub Zero, Kohler, Kraftmaid, Dacor, Bosch
Refrigerator by Sub Zero
Kitchen plumbing fixtures by Kohler
Kitchen cabinets by Kraftmaid
Range by Dacor
Dishwasher by Bosch
Oven by Dacor
Kitchen plumbing fittings by Kohler
Lighting, Heating, Home/building automation: Lennox
Fireplace by Lennox
Roof: Rheinzink
Roofing by Rheinzink
Walls: Benjamin Moore
