A low-pitched, terne coated stainless steel roof floats above a …
A low-pitched, terne coated stainless steel roof floats above a dry-stacked slate wall and mahogany volume.
Courtesy Robert M. Gurney
Floor plan
Courtesy Robert M. Gurney
Section
Maxwell MacKenzie
Pivoting doors open the pavilion in summertime; in winter a Rumf…
Pivoting doors open the pavilion in summertime; in winter a Rumford fireplace and heated floors warm the space.
Maxwell MacKenzie
Intended for year-round use, the pavilion is set close to the wo…
Intended for year-round use, the pavilion is set close to the woods, providing a threshold between the manicured gardens and adjacent woodland.
Maxwell MacKenzie
Five steel-framed glass doors and mitered glass corners put the …
Five steel-framed glass doors and mitered glass corners put the lush surroundings front and center.
Maxwell MacKenzie
Natural materials include bluestone flooring, stone and mahogany…
Natural materials include bluestone flooring, stone and mahogany walls, and a Douglas fir ceiling.
Maxwell MacKenzie
The mahogany volume houses a bath.
Maxwell MacKenzie
A new swimming pool, stone walls, and terrace behind the existin…
A new swimming pool, stone walls, and terrace behind the existing house organize the rear yard and connect the house and pavilion.
Courtesy Robert M. Gurney
Axonometric
Courtesy Robert M. Gurney
New paths, trees, and plantings reinforce the pavilion’s geome…
New paths, trees, and plantings reinforce the pavilion’s geometry.
Robert M. Gurney designed this jewel box of a pavilion for a jewel of a site: a suburban backyard that abuts a preserved woodland. Conceived as a lithesome counterpart to the brick house, the pavilion sits close to the woods, providing a threshold between the natural and manicured landscape. “Its relationship to the house, swimming pool, and landscape components was as important as the building itself,” Gurney says.
The low-pitched stainless steel roof floats above a dry-stacked stone wall and a mahogany box housing the mechanical equipment and bath. Frameless glass walls and five pivoting, steel-framed glass doors both enclose the space and open it to the outdoors. Citing the play of geometric forms and clean use of wood, a judge dubbed this a “modern interpretation of the shed.”
Entrant/Architect: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect, Washington, D.C.; Project architect: John Riordan, Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect; Builder: Peterson + Collins, Washington; Living space: 475 square feet; Site: 0.50 acre; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie.
