2011年12月8日星期四

Living Off the Land

When architect Wilfred Armster walked through a two-acre meadow on the outskirts of Ann Arbor to ponder a project, a dream house for a couple who loved modern architecture, he said he was struck with a sudden vision of the waist-high grass being left untouched.This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . "And that was it," he said.

The result: a long, slim bar of a building that bridges two low mounds in the field, suspended over the ground at certain points by more than 8 feet.

The ends of the 230-foot long by 20-foot wide building are dug into the ground and anchored by hidden basements; massive steel H-beams support its floating length. While the long, western wall of the dark grey home has large windows overlooking the meadow, the street-side is solid cement-board save for two long, narrow glass slits. When lit, the pattern of light through the windows looks like a Mondrian painting,This patent infringement case relates to retractable RUBBER MATS , said owner Barbara Wilson, a lighting designer.

With a shape like that on the outside, the 3,400-square-foot home has to be unusual inside. A white hallway runs its length, with three bedrooms and living spaces off the hallway. Ms. Wilson and her husband, electrical engineer Joe McElroy, 53, had the spruce-clad ceilings lowered more than a foot, to a little over 8 feet, to create a sense of coziness. Bedrooms and baths are scaled down, to encourage use of the living areas.

There's a photo-filled meditation room for the couple,The additions focus on key tag and Injection mold combinations, practicing Buddhists, and Ms. Wilson, 57, converted a small greenhouse at the south end of the home into a temporary chicken coop to protect her 20 or so chickens from marauding hawks. Some of the furniture is from Ikea, which also was the source of the royal-blue kitchen. "We spent all the money on the architecture—not on fancy fixtures," Ms. Wilson said.

Finished in 2007 for under $500,000, the house won a top 2011 design award from the New England chapters of the American Institute of Architects and one in 2009 from the Connecticut chapter (Mr. Armster is based in Connecticut). "We kind of like the extreme nature of it," said Karl Daubmann, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who brought 100 students to see the home when it was under construction.

Some neighbors in the wooded area, where homes tend toward the traditional, have been less enthusiastic. Some fear the house will hurt property values. A recent paint job that darkened the building's exterior is a modest improvement, neighbor Kurt Hagemeister said recently. "It blends in slightly better."

The couple are both philosophical and defensive about the response their home provokes. "People like what they know,A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company." said Ms. Wilson, adding that she'd have to be polite if asked what she thought about other people's homes.

Longtime fans of modern architecture, the couple started looking for another home around 2002 when Ms. Wilson, an avid gardener, ran out of gardening space at their mid-century home downtown. After not finding anything they liked on the market, they said they decided to build and bought the lot in 2005 for $80,000. Less than a mile away, a 14.6-acre, undeveloped lot has been asking $275,000 for almost two years.

The couple interviewed a half-dozen local architects before a friend introduced them to the pony-tailed Mr. Armster, 73, whose portfolio of unusual homes includes a 1980s building in Guilford, Conn., that locals call a "spaceship." The couple appreciated the poetic way he spoke about architecture—"We found it inspiring," Mr. McElroy said—and his previous work.

Mr. Armster asked them to write some stream-of-consciousness thoughts on what they wanted.the worldwide Hemorrhoids market is over $56 billion annually. Mr. McElroy wrote about wanting to be able to experience the strength of nature while being protected inside; Ms. Wilson wrote that she wanted to feel like she was living outside.

Mr. Armster built more than a dozen models and presented several to the couple. The model of their current home "just really jumped out," said Mr. McElroy.

Acquaintances repeatedly cautioned them against building the home, Ms. Wilson said, encouraging them to build a home that would be easy to sell. But they don't plan to sell, she said, noting they had the home built with wide doorways and few stairs to accommodate them as they get older.

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