Swiss Army House

Congratulations to Jing Liao, recipient of the Outstanding Design Work in 4B (Arch 493) Award.

How can an artists’ residence be designed for 4 dimensions?

The design ethos is formed from the tension between two seemingly incompatible human wishes: the wish to mitigate environmental vulnerability in search of stable comfort and the wish for extremity and authenticity in environmental experience.

Kinetic, “heliotropic” design allows the retreat to function as an environmental device—both at the level of enclosure and interior logic.

Sets of sliding enclosure layered over contrasting static and stable volumes yield a multitude of spatial permutations and environmental experiences in a central, hyper-flexible room.

In this way, the site and occupant response extends beyond the three spatial dimensions to include the consideration of time.

While mindful of the future through material and construction details, Swiss Army House invites those inhabiting the space to live with nature in the here-and-now.