The Centrifugal Villa by OBRA Architects
OBRA Architects have designed the Centrifugal Villa, located in Southampton, New York.
Full description after the photos….
The Centrifugal Villa by OBRA Architects
The Centrifugal Villa is arranged around a hollow center, as if the heart of the house had somehow fallen outside its body. The string of subsequent spaces in its interior provide a comprehension of the whole by sacrificing their individual geometric cohesiveness to the fractured configuration of the entire composition. The experience of the interior is characterized by constantly shifting vanishing points, at the place of their collision in each crease of the plan, large openings cutting dormer scoops on the roof, centrifugally release the views out to the surrounding landscape. The house, defined by this idea rather than a formal imposition, cannibalizes the local “vernacular,” distorting it through hexagonal introspection of the plan and the transposed proportion of the parts.
Designed as wood post-and-beam structure, the exterior cladding is detailed with vertical board and batten seams to give continuity to the building exterior and encourage an uninterrupted rhythmic flow around the elevations. The house utilizes geothermal heating and incorporates passive energy-saving techniques, including a narrow-section interior to allow natural ventilation and a sequence and layout of dormer windows and openings to permit generous daylighting and minimal artificial lighting needs.
Set on a 5-acre property overlooking an agricultural reserve, the completed project includes main house, separate guesthouse and garage structure, and poolhouse with poolside pavilion.
Visit the OBRA Architects website – here.
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graham on 20 Oct 2009 at 6:07 pm #
Aaaaaaaaaaaargh when will bloody architects and photographers realise how awful and sterile it looks when they take their pics the minute the last builder has left the building. Wait until people are living in it to take your pics as it makes the places feel more alive rather than a cold study in funky and the latest cool materials
ut on 21 Oct 2009 at 6:33 am #
…looks more a church than a house for me however the exterior work is really nice.
Max on 21 Oct 2009 at 8:05 am #
As an interior designer I would usually agree with Graham’s comment – however, for this specific house I do quite like the- most likely specifically intended- minimalist shots illustrating the true value of the architectural details.
Rudy on 21 Oct 2009 at 8:57 am #
Nice one. I do like the empty pics just showing the angular design. This house needs very little furnishings and even less wall decoration.
A few well chosen pieces will do the trick (not the ones shown here, I am afraid).
Alejandro on 21 Oct 2009 at 7:20 pm #
looks like it came straight out of an urban outfitters catalogue..
RKB on 22 Oct 2009 at 9:19 pm #
I can smell the fresh drywall.
hZ! on 10 Nov 2009 at 7:39 am #
After all the play with angles, planes, light and shade (which is not to me alienating despite the lack of accoutrements), it is very beautiful to see the amazingly joyful oranges and greens and patterning of the furnishings.
This is not a clinically cold and harsh house- it is full of subtle natural textures. Even the brightest colours, sparingly used, are natural ones, and the effect is absolutely harmonious.
The church-like atmosphere is not accidental. This is a house that provides peace for contemplation, elevated space for transcendence, and journeys of discovery.
The first and second pictures had me scared, the exterior having such a bared-teeth countenance, but this effect isn’t evident from every angle, and the use of timber cladding on the outside, harmonious with the surroundings, belies the purity and brightness within.
The house appears to surveil outwards, while inside, the outside is not much taken into account beyond what might in olden times have been the norm. It’s like some people; outwardly barbed. And why not, when something inside that is so balanced and serene is there to be protected.