For a lake residence on a diminutive lot in rural Iowa we conceived of a house as a series of spatial frames that offer a focused and private experience on an otherwise densely populated shore. This second home sits in a resort area that appears as an oasis in the midst of the Midwestern 'corn desert'. The owners desired a house that was 'all about the lake' and the oak trees that bound the lake from the expanse of farmland beyond. The house behaves as a 3-dimensional set of 'blinders' obscuring the neighbors while gradually opening to the lake beyond. Passing through the house one moves from areas of density to areas with a diaphanous quality while color and material texture intensify moving from open to intimate spaces.

Photographs by Paul Crosby

Awards:2010 ACSA Faculty Design Award2009 AIA Central States Region Honor Award 2008 AIA Nebraska Honor Award for new construction2008 AIA Nebraska Honor Award for detail (Lake Cabinet)