UR BIRD BOXESAN OWL HOUSE AND PURPLE MARTIN DUPLEX

JDS : design . fabrication . installation administration

While working at Max Levy’s office, I’d put a great deal of personal effort into this house, hand-drafting the set of construction drawings and administering the construction project. Some two years later after having my own practice for almost a year, Max and the client so graciously commissioned me to design these little boxes for the birds.

In reference to the house, each birdhouse consists of two hard gabled ends that are spanned by planes of a softer material. While the main house’s finishes add up to what Max called an ‘essay in flatness’, the houses for the birds are of the same ilk.

The upside-down gabled boxes express their function by alluding to the birds’ defiance of gravity. In addition, this form more readily hangs from the house’s soffits, cradles the birds inside, and lets out any interior moisture.

The final assemblies are left raw to reduce toxicity, minimize required maintenance, and naturally express their age over time.

materials : aluminum . cypress . a twig