Maryland house wrapped in Shou Sugi Ban timber nods to its context
Franzen House, a new-build home by Robert Gurney Architect in Maryland, USA, is clad in Nakamoto Forestry Shou Sugi Ban charred timber in harmony with its wooded slope context
![This new build home by Robert Gurney Architect in Maryland, USA](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eVwC2EXGxUyiW7XXiSx6rX-415-80.jpg)
This new build home by Robert Gurney Architect in Maryland, USA, sits on a steep, wooded slope, looking towards the Potomac River in the distance. Its natural setting is matched by its wooden and minimalist architecture; Franzen House is a fairly reserved rectangular box, clad entirely in charred timber planks by Nakamoto Forestry, in the traditional Japanese style of Shou Sugi Ban.
The house is tall, spanning four storeys. Yet its positioning means the hillside negotiates its volume, helping it appear smaller and in sync with its environment. At the same time, the angled terrain ensures its large openings enjoy framed views of the woods around it. The structure is further anchored into earth by a strong, concrete base and core.
Decked terraces and balconies on the upper levels provide outdoor areas for the residents to immerse themselves in the natural surroundings. A bridge offers access to the house's main entrance from the street, creating a dramatic sense of arrival. A red fence creates a contrasting twist.
Inside, so as not to compete with the striking leafy context and Shou Sugi Ban skin outside, the interiors are clean and minimalist. Tall ceilings meet simple, white plastered walls and light coloured wooden floors. Open-plan, communal spaces, floor-to-ceiling glazed windows, and a pared-down approach ensure the green nature outside takes centre stage; meanwhile there's ample space for indoor flexibility, and for the owner's art collection to create focal points within.
At the end of the day, ‘the project is modulated as a series of experiences that lead you away from the street and ultimately into a tranquil environment to enjoy the serene, wooded landscape', explains Gurney.
INFORMATION
robertgurneyarchitect.com
nakamotoforestry.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Rafael de Cárdenas’ first ground-up project is a forever home with waterfront views and hidden treasures
Rafael de Cárdenas reveals his latest completed project in the Pacific Northwest, a family home of calming spaces that bleed the outside in, and ten years in the making
By Ellie Stathaki Published