HOUSE 1ON THE ELEMENTS

House 1 was designed for a painter who owned an odd plot of land on the Texas Coast and had a deep affinity for sailing.

The primary project concepts deal in the desire to subject ourselves to forces beyond our power. As the client internally gives his self to the elements of the soul in the act of making art, he externally yeilds his self to forces of nature in the practice of sailing.

The house and boathouse were designed to be constructed of site-cast concrete, and the house’s windows project off the face of the building in order to bring in ocean breezes.

Noticeable from throughout the house is an elevated room for exhibiting and storing paintings. It’s lifted 9 feet off the first floor and has the ability to move up and down on a hydraulic lift. Also providing an intimate ceiling condition above a mobile dining set, the ‘floating’ room mainly works to express and protect the client’s passions.

FIRST LEVEL The studio / living space is wide open, designed to be easily cleaned, and also prepared for flooding possibilities.

SECOND LEVEL The interior balconies provide shade to the studio space below and give access to inspiring lookouts to the south and east.

THIRD LEVEL The design of the master suite includes an ocean breeze blowing across the bed and a bathroom looking out to the where sea meets the sky.

MODEL The model was built as a kit of disassemblable parts at a scale of 1/8” = 1’ – 0”. Made prior to the predominance of CNC machinery, it was crafted using only ‘human-powered’ tools and utensils.

ART In 2004 the model for House 1 was exhibited in a show called ‘constructions & architecture’ at the Dallas Contemporary.

House 1 was a hypothetical project done in architecture school and was Jason David Smith’s first house design.

JDS : architecture . model fabrication