project description

Sited in the forest adjacent to Lake Michigan, this home serves as a retreat from the intensity of urban city life to reflect and connect back to nature; a celebration of life and human values.

Connectivity to the contextual landscape allows the home to adapt to and embrace natural materials and natural light in ways that create a personal sense of scale and warmth. The home honors materials as simple planes and movements, inviting camaraderie with nature and the self-conscious pleasure of being sheltered in the forest. The name, Chameleon house, is derived from the use of natural materials and coloration which adapt to daylight and the changing seasons.

Inspiration comes from the experimental Case Study Houses by Charles and Ray Eames, Richard Neutra, Craig Ellwood, and Pierre Koenig.

Location: Douglas, Michigan
Size: 3,400 sf
Completion: 2011