WOJR designs symmetrical 'house of the woodland' with striking pyramid roof

american studio WOJR has designed a house with a striking roof that makes use of its steep pitch by accommodating several second-level annex spaces. the house of the woodland is envisioned for a 25-acre rural site surrounded by woods in the berkshires, massachusetts.

images courtesy of WOJR, renders by d-render

‘house of the woodland is an elemental building that aspires to frame the slow and deliberate rituals of respite,’ said WOJR, a studio based in cambridge, massachusetts. ‘parallel to the aspiration that the completed building fosters a slowness and an awareness of temporality, so too does the building-in-process.‘

the one-and-a-half-story dwelling encompasses 2,300 square feet (213 square metres). based on a nine-square grid, the equilateral space would be articulated by four large plywood trusses that sit atop eight cinder block walls.

‘its role as a spatial ordering device in such precedents is commonly experienced planometrically, while in house of the woodland the volume on the ground level of the building is evacuated of structure‘, the studio continues.

inside, the home features concrete floors and a ceiling fashioned of plywood expressing the grid in a series of deep rectilinear coffers. in addition to a symmetrical fenestration on the ground floor, four skylights varying in both shape and size cast light onto the space below.

the primary floor features an open plan made up of a kitchen, dining area, and a living area where a fireplace is integrated into the east-facing wall. this opens out onto a raised element that surrounds the entire space at ground level, creating opportunity for the display of decorative objects as well as interesting interventions like window seats.

the studio’s realistic renderings show a dramatic roof that is pitched to a height twice the size of the floor below. this allows enough space to accomodate multiple second-level annex spaces that follow the gridular plan. these include a lofted bedroom over the first-floor bathrooms and a netted rumpus space strewn with pillows above part of the main living area.

project info

project: name house of the woodland
location: the berkshires , ma
architect: wojr
project: types single family
project: scope new construction
size: 2,300 sq. feet
awards: 2019 architect progressive architecture awards
project status: in progress

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