CODA's Inclusive Addition to the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts is a project that compresses five desired spaces into three, functioning by time-sharing two of the main spaces with two programs each, depending on use and season. At times, this addition is intended to accessibly house one of the artists in a five-person residency, along with the requisite collective cooking and dining spaces; at other times, the addition functions as a public gallery for one of the foundation’s frequent Open Houses. The design transforms from a domestic setting to a public state via a large rotating wall between the studio/gallery and dining room/gallery. On the exterior, a series of barn doors/screens create privacy to the studios during public events and form a backdrop to the performances in the courtyard.

The project is conceived as a folded surface that wraps around an existing building. The skin folds to wrap the facade of the addition, folds diagonally to form an outdoor amphitheater, and finally folds diagonally to lie horizontally along the ground, creating a tail that lines the path leading to the existing main house. In this way, the addition ties together the two existing buildings on site. Shousugiban (charred) cypress is used as the outer skin. Using this Japanese technique, the wood is carbonized by burning to produce a waterproof and sun resistant layer. The combustion neutralizes the cellulose that attracts insects and bacteria, so it requires minimal maintenance. Shousugiban connects the fragments of buildings on the site without literal mimicry to the material of the main house, which is a dark grey stained wood. Built in 1994 as a residence for founder, Constance Saltonstall, the modest house is domestic yet stoic.