SHAPESHIFTER

An escape from a city apartment, this sculptural home at the northern tip of the Omaha Peninsula provides an interesting getaway for a couple, with the ability to expand to cater for extended family. The house is built from materials appropriate to the marine environment that require minimal maintenance and have a simplicity and robustness. It’s a habitable sculpture with a dynamic roof, a chevron delineating the interior circulation and stairs, and a roof terrace accessed with a ‘pop-out’ exit. The interior spills out onto the lawn, on which the home is deliberately positioned to accommodate a ‘tent city’ on the section during summertime family holidays.

The material palette is pared back and robust, expressing contrasting materiality and colour between base, middle and top. A membrane product traditionally used in roofing applications wraps down as a cladding for the top floor. The tarry black membrane sits in contrast to the smooth, white weatherboards below in colour, texture and tradition.

The major innovations here lie in the materiality and the form. The use of the dark roofing membrane atop the white weatherboards packs a powerful punch outside on arrival, while the sculptural form reflecting the interior circulation creates dynamic ceiling volumes and an exciting sense of movement inside.