John Lautner, Stanley Johnson House, 1965
John Lautner, Turner House, 1982
user. The question of Lautner as an inspiration lay both on an abstract level in the way he speaks about nature and infinity, as well as one of practical solutions of materials and construction. In his case, it is nearly impossible to imagine what he would have done in any particular place, because he never repeated himself. I was not aiming to create an ‘original’ Lautner, only mine his incredible range of site response for inspiration. The piece of land in question rises at a 30° sharp angle from a lakeshore. In work of Lautner, there are number of examples in similar locations. The most famous are the house built on one central column (Chemosphere 1960) and the house where the hill is excavated to reveal enormous rocks, which support the roof (Elrod 1968). As inspiration for this site, I thought of a series of stepped floors that descend with the hill as in the less known house for Stanley Johnson (1965) in combination with the enormous concrete shell roof used in the Turner House (1982). In this way, a countermovement of floors stepping down and a roof soaring up emerged, as well as a roof where the edge, as in so many of Lautner’s houses, does not per se follow the built mass, but cantilevers at strategic locations. The stone wall is derived from the entrance of the Schwimmer House (1982) that in compliance with the express wishes of the client looks like a castle, complete with rough stone blocks and towers. The use of this material emphasises solidity and the connection with the earth. A ramp connecting the different floor levels refers to a house built for his uncle, Ernest Lautner (1958), and runs downward in a large arc, slowly revealing the view. In order to diffuse the border between inside and outside, similar to the Pearlman Cabin (1957) and the Harpel 2 (1966), results in a highly-faceted facade. In the lower floor sleeping area, the facade leans outward to emphasise the connection the surrounding nature, as in the Bosustov Cabin (1972).
55
Architectural references as design tool