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Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Design: To
develop the best view of the Bay it was suggested that
the living space be placed at the plateau level
but built out over the bluff. This would allow for the
garage to be built at the plateau level and the main
floor would be accessible to that grade. The problem
would be to develop a plan that had most of the floor
area 20 feet above grade at the bluffs edge without the
lower level dominating the site. The plan was to build
a 26 foot quare tower to house mechanical and storage
at the bluff level, have a second floor with a guest
bedroom and sitting room and place the main floor at
the third level. This required the larger third floor
to be cantilevered out from tower.
The final design turned the tower with long axises of
the square parallel and perpendicular to the site. By
crossing these axises with steel trusses a cantilevered
structure could be extended side to side and out over
the bluff. The main floor shape was asymmetrical with
a 45 degree triangle placed to the south side and a larger
30/60 degree triangle on the north side. This set the
tower on the furthest point towards the bay allowed for
the correct proportion of floor space with the north
spaces being public areas (living, dining, kitchen and
screened porch) and south area being private with sitting
room and master bedroom. To develop deck areas within
the given geometry the 45 degree triangle was divided
with a 30/60 degree triangle and the 30/60 degree triangle
was partially divided with a 45 degree triangle.
The tower contained a large entry that opened to the
living room, bath rooms and stair. To access this floor
a bridge was extended from the garage area to the main
entrance. A fourth floor was added to the tower to accommodate
the truss configuration and provide room for two guest
bedrooms with baths. The rooms had windows facing the
woods. The stair was extended to the tower roof which
became an exterior deckwith a breath taking view.
The structure consisted of a substantial concrete slab
anchored to the bedrock. Steel columns at the four corners
support a system steel roof girders which extend out
from the building corners (34' south and west and 70'
north) and support the roof and floor. The expression
of the structure has been worked into the exterior finishes
and exposed at the interior. The tower was veneered with
stone to give a massive look to the primary supporting
element. The cantilevered areas were glass and wood and
supported a copper standing seam roof to give a light
appearance to the cantilevered elements.
The final residence had a spectacular 180 degree view
of the Bay of Green Bay, minimized the impact of the
structure on the land, and yet is barely visible from
the water.
©2008
Valentine Architects
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