With a former farmhouse no longer capable of meeting the daily demands of a working farm, our clients approached us with a very specific brief. We were required to design and build a replacement home on an incredibly tight budget, and the new house was to be capable of withstanding years of utility for a long future on the farm. Our focus was on an overall efficiency - efficiency of performance, efficiency material, and efficiency of space.
Using the extrusion of a simplified house form, the design of the Warburg House is a direct reflection of its context. Set amidst the undeniable chaos of a farm yard, the new home is to stand proud of its everyday activity. A large deck to the west offers a working surface to be utilized throughout the year with a repurposed and refurbished log cabin for ample insulated exterior storage. A small deck to the east serves as a release - a tranquil escape from the everyday, overlooking a meadow.
The materiality was chosen as a reflection of its rural context. The finely detailed corrugated metal exterior wraps the entirety of the home atop a thick and highly insulated protective shell. Inset East and West walls are clad in cedar, marking warm points of entry. Conceived of as a singular space, the interior of the home is simply delineated by a simple wooden core which hosts the essential functions of the house. Containing the bathroom, laundry, mechanical room, kitchen, and bedroom storage within one simple volume offers an ultimate flexibility of space, allowing the typical functions of a house to be instituted at will.
The Warburg House is an exploration on how a devotion to efficient design can result in the rare blend of both style and sustainability.
