barry wark introduces ‘house by the sea’, a strange yet familiar dwelling that takes form as an assembly of sloped parts with various textures and material qualities. the project designed to welcome their natural state, eventually displaying atmospheric and non-human effects in and around its structure over time. furthermore, the proposal explores new ecological aesthetics in architecture, having qualities of both the common pitched roof and the landscape in which it is sited.
all images courtesy of barry wark
approaching the house across the rocky coastline
the house’s features raise questions over its origins as something natural, artifactual, or synthetic, blurring the boundaries in between. barry wark seeks to challenge the audacity of the white house in the landscape and instead develops new aesthetics of humbleness and embeddedness within its biome. the resulting structure has a highly textural and pocketed building envelope, creating opportunities for non-humans to colonize its boundaries. the human spaces inside are akin to the ancient rock-cut architecture, giving the sense of a carved monolith, protecting its inhabitants from the harsh coastal weather whilst providing views across the sea.
view of the house across the bay
the project aims to move beyond the sweetness of the current architecture-nature dialogues commonly implemented as green planted façades. it instead considers the wider natural and atmospheric actors that comprise our environment and how they manifest in our buildings, ultimately attempting to move from aesthetics of nature to aesthetics of ecology.
north elevation showing the various materials, textures, and impact of atmosphere and non-humans on the façade
interior of the megalithic bedroom space
split axonometric displaying the pocketed roof space
west elevation with large openings to the sea
roof plan
ground floor plan
project info:
name: house by the sea
architect: barry wark
designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina petridou | designboom
