The Berkshire Residence by Morrison Seifert Murphy
Morrison Seifert Murphy Architects have sent us photos of their work on the Berkshire Residence located in Dallas, Texas.
Visit the website of Morrison Seifert Murphy – here.
Location: Dallas, Texas
Size: 5500 sq. ft.
This site is in a traditional single-family neighborhood with large mature trees in front and a busy thoroughfare in the rear. These opportunities and limitations became the genesis of the design of the house.
The plan of the house is a U-shape that turns it’s back toward the noisy thoroughfare and opens to a courtyard that is shaded by the existing canopy of trees. The mass of the house shields and protects the courtyard from traffic noise beyond. The courtyard is the soul of the house with most of the rooms on the ground level opening directly onto it.
The act of discovery is deliberately orchestrated beginning with a broken pathway leading past a tall, sentinel-like stucco wall to the front gate of teak set into translucent glass sidelights. Beyond the gate one traverses a covered walkway enjoying views of the courtyard and the spaces that surround it enroute to the front door. Upon entering a gallery is revealed that opens to a display of outdoor sculpture and thus punctuates the entry sequence. Finally from the main living space adjacent to the entry gallery an axial perspective of the courtyard is revealed and the entire concept becomes apparent.
By virtue of the large sliding doors from the living room and sliding, pocket doors from the master suite and cabana, the indoor and outdoor spaces become one. The flexibility of this arrangement makes the home perfectly suited to daily living as well as large scale entertaining by the owners.
This is the only modern home in this neighborhood and probably the largest. I chose the dark, gray-green color in order to make the house blend into the existing canopy and to visually diminish it’s size. This house, in my more typical white rendition, would have overpowered the neighborhood. As completed the house is a good neighbor, blending as planned with the trees and looking wonderful against the bright blue Texas sky.
Clubit.tv on 09 Dec 2008 at 5:00 am #
That house is amazing, i really like it, one of the best homes i have seen for a long time, very nice
Connie on 09 Dec 2008 at 12:27 pm #
Very nice and good floorplan. I love homes with private patios.
Speedmaster on 09 Dec 2008 at 5:23 pm #
I particularly like the lighting.
Rod Lloyd on 10 Dec 2008 at 3:18 am #
The architecture is so balanced yet not in a too formal way,with deep grace. Splendid work. Would be a supreme joy to live in. A thing of dreams.
youth on 10 Dec 2008 at 7:17 am #
amazing. but what is the price ?
Not Worthy on 10 Dec 2008 at 3:25 pm #
Absolutely gorgeous. I know for a fact that I am not attractive enough to darken the door….
Lance on 10 Dec 2008 at 4:18 pm #
If you have to ask…
Probably somewhere around 1.5 I would guess though. It’s a great house, very efficient and elegant at the same time. It’s not bogged down by uber minimalism either. It strikes the right balance between modern and comfortable. The lighting really stands out as well, very warm and sexy.
Rem Koolhaas on 12 Dec 2008 at 2:42 am #
I would drown myself in the pool out of boredom in this house.
I smell old money! I have seen business hotels sexier than this shed. It’s so run of the mill. Sitting there being pretty, but having nothing to tell me.
You know that The Architect makes a lot of money doing this… however, please don’t encourage him saying it’s great. That’s an insult for the rest of us who actually TRY.
Everything is so straight, so square.
It has no LIFE, nothing tantalizing, nothing fantastic….
Why recycle modernism, why so lazy?
I give it 1 out of 10 because I like the bench.
But … the bench is in the wrong house.
Alright, then I give it a 0.
acongfx on 12 Dec 2008 at 6:56 am #
Cool lighting! If there is a crystal cube on it, the aura will mesmerize who glimpse it
Ian Blackwell on 12 Dec 2008 at 12:55 pm #
I can see what Rem Koolhass is saying and it does look a little ’sterile’ for want of a better word. However, I do like it and think that once it has a bit more clutter and looks lived in it would be very pleasing to live in.
tommy on 12 Dec 2008 at 4:37 pm #
Wow, This house is laid out exceptionally well. Architecture is like art. What one person likes another may not. Thanks for posting…
Larry on 13 Dec 2008 at 6:39 pm #
Some “altitude” changes might have been nice. A large (tall) pergola over the courtyard maybe, some lofted space with more wood used with restraint inside for some more warmth. No changes to the level of cliche’ but, as it is, this is rather too cold for my taste.
Jon on 13 Dec 2008 at 8:43 pm #
Great for entertaining, but not for living.
ken morse on 13 Dec 2008 at 10:34 pm #
Very nice restrained minimalism! Reminiscent of the Barcelona pavillion of Mies
m, aia on 14 Dec 2008 at 8:55 am #
boooooring. and nothing live mies’s pavillion.
A. Sceptic on 14 Dec 2008 at 8:12 pm #
Deductions from the photos and blueprints:
* client is rich or nouveau-riche
* client lacks both individualism and creativity
* client entertains frequently
* the architecture is all boring rectangles
Walter Sydoriak on 15 Dec 2008 at 12:35 pm #
Reminds me of a laboratory–all sterile and cold.
Bilsalem on 16 Dec 2008 at 2:26 am #
At first glance, the house is very elegant and restrained. Serious architecture, here. But cautious, correct. The client appears to be elderly, sedate, conservative. It is as if the sense of modernity conferred class. And class must be tasteful. And taste must be quiet, quiet. Perhaps Rem Koolhas is too loud.
But, oh, the living room: admittedly, it works, but we’ve seen it, I’m sorry — Frank Lloyd Wright was right about the fireplace: It truly warms and animates the space.
Where, pray, does delight burst forth? It is in the bathroom, yes. But only there?
There is the beauty of solitude in the hallway opening onto a framed, floor to ceiling view of the garden with the Giacometti style, female nude sculpture. Very nice.
The bench in the rock garden; set amidst the lively interplay of levels, planes and textures. Half-hidden, yet so near the street and the entrance; lovely.
Jay Valento - Long Beach Condos on 16 Dec 2008 at 9:34 am #
looks like an office building
Rem Koolhaas on 17 Dec 2008 at 1:22 pm #
“Architecture is like art. What one person likes another may not.”
Architecture is exactly the opposite of art as it generates products that are meant to be used, not to be looked at. Either it achieves this goal or it does not and taste has nothing to do with it. In fact, we architects should always be critical of any un-argumented esthetic preferences, as they do not help productively in the design process. Watch out! I am not pleading for functionalism or minimalism. Ornament and kitsch have their value as well. What I mean to make clear is that “designing” ideally is a dialogue between the architect and his client. Both should be the author of the design, otherwise the building will not be succesful. So if this is a successful building, then it tells me the client is a terrible bore, or simply absent.
“Some “altitude” changes might have been nice”
Why? do you want to trip the client and break his neck? That goes even too far for me.
“I particularly like the lighting”
Hidden up-lights look like a crematorium and should be banned for light pollution.
“Reminiscent of the Barcelona pavillion of Mies”
Yes, you are right, it reminds me of Ludwig … just like a t-shirt reminds me of him. We all think of him, when we look at this box and it should make us sad. We should be sad that history has not been kind to his great legacy, if it is doomed to live on in these crypto-functionalitic rectangles. Did he not teach us anything? were we not paying attention? Ludwig talked his entire life until he dropped dead about the essence of architecture, about creating possibilites, about the near-far and the idea of the wall… but most of all, he explored the idea of being generous. Compared to the richness of his ideas, this building looks like flatworld.
Isn’t it time that we accept that Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is dead, instead of stubbornly digging up his soulless body to put it on display? In the pictures I see a lot of veneer, which is the perfect metaphor for what I am trying to say.
“And taste must be quiet, quiet”
One MUST never do anything, one MAY do anything. Designing a house is about making things possible, not impossible. We have all done it from time to time, defending the status quo .. . yet this is the perfect example why one should not talk about architecture, one should DO it. Designing a house is not making a building, it is making a place. Exposing what is valuable, and ignoring that what is not. It does not adhere to pre-set rules, yet it has the ability to react to its tangible and intangible contexts. Architecture is about life, about dreaming and making the fantastic real. About making something that has never happened before and that will never happen again. We have all seen the past. It’s in the magazines. Let’s head for the future, please.
“Perhaps Rem Koolhaas is too loud”
Well, Bilsalem, at least you have the decency to think. For all of you who had the balls to critique this house’s lack of individualism and life, please take a long hard look at yourself. Stop conforming to what I have already said and start thinking. You all should be living in this house. You deserve it.
sneakylong on 17 Dec 2008 at 9:37 pm #
pretentious fucks. the place is beautiful, calm, and simple.
Ayman on 18 Dec 2008 at 10:59 am #
I have walked/driven by this house many times and admired the exterior. Great to see the interior, although it is lacking a certain warmth. I would contrast the cold lines with dark red wool rugs that have an ethnic motif. That might do the trick.
Matt on 18 Dec 2008 at 1:21 pm #
I really like the courtyard and the way the colours are done in the night picture… I do agree that the building is boring and rectangle but for the courtyard and lounge I think its perfect, very well done
Grey on 19 Dec 2008 at 5:28 am #
money can’t by taste…what comes to mind; Sterile, pale, empty display of wealth without any soul or character. Looks like something out of an office block or pshyc ward. How someone could ‘live’ in that I don’t know. Reading the ‘artsy fartsy’ BS that some people have commented here really makes me snicker. Geeze guys, do you really think anyone believes your bullsheet other then yourselves? What a load of self perpetuating wankers.
stephen on 20 Dec 2008 at 12:43 am #
Wow i thought that house looked familiar… then i realized it was my neighbor! I always thought it looked absolutely stunning
ross on 20 Dec 2008 at 6:12 am #
I think mr.koolhaus is just trying to be opinionated for the sake it, and is obviously jelous that he dosnt make as much money doing the architecture he does, when everyone has a problem with you youre the problem, stop looking for a reaction
Amber on 20 Dec 2008 at 9:24 am #
I wonder how one would raise a family in such a sterile, lifeless place.
Ross, people may be more inclined to listen to you if you introduce basic English into your writing style. Misspelled words, missing punctuation, and run-on sentences just don’t do it for me, personally.
innocent by. stander on 20 Dec 2008 at 1:21 pm #
this house reminds me of a doctor’s/psychologists/dentist’s/accountant’s office. too square and “perfect”.
but i do think it looks nice. and i would live in it in a heart-beat. but i wouldn’t buy it. it lacks too much life and warmth. looks like it should be on “the real world” or something.
the courtyard is awesome. that design and style will definitely influence a courtyard i would make for myself and my family. (as if i could ever afford it)
Nestor on 21 Dec 2008 at 9:44 am #
Futuristic yet retro… I like it.
MaryAlice on 22 Dec 2008 at 12:12 am #
I don’t get it. Way too industrial and ’90s. There’s no personality. It reminds me of my old high school! Awful!
Ross on 07 Jan 2009 at 1:07 pm #
well amber you will have to live with that because im dyslexic
Scott on 18 Jan 2009 at 10:45 pm #
5,500 sq ft. Such narcissistic self-indulgence will ruin this world for the rest of us.
Ana P. on 24 Jan 2009 at 10:58 pm #
Simple, spacious, uncluttered, practical, lots of natural light. Understated elegance. Not ostentatious. That’s its personality. I love it, though I would add more color to suit my personal taste. As for warmth and family life, people make the home.
underexposed on 24 Feb 2009 at 3:44 pm #
great space! want that
peace
kenneth on 14 Mar 2009 at 9:26 am #
lovely architecture, could use some more contrast on the outside
SCOTT on 28 Sep 2009 at 1:35 pm #
This house looks identical to the one that was in the movie “Fracture” with Anthony Hopkins. Is it?