The Retreat House
Designed for those who want to live in their art, instead of just looking at it.
Michael Jantzen
© 2016
www.archinect.com/michael-jantzen/projects
The Retreat House was designed as a special functional art place in which to escape from the norm. It was made from a series of prefabricated, modular, components that can be assembled together in many different ways in order to form many different sizes and shaped structures. The basic module consists of a half floor, wall, and roof section that can be used as it is, and/or connected together with another to form a complete floor, walls, and roof profile. The complete profile sections can be connected to others vertically from side to side in various ways by rotating them into different positions relative to one another, and or with other half sections. The half and full sections can also be assembled together in horizontal configurations. The gaps between these modules can be filled with glass windows and doors. This Retreat House is made of three full sections and four half sections, two of which are mounted in a horizontal orientation. Two of the three full profiles are rotated out of phase with the center one and connected together forming the enclosed space along with one half profile.
The half profile contains a small composting toilet and sink. The other three full profiles enclose two folding beds, two desks, two seats, and various storage cabinets. The entire structure is powered by a solar panel mounted on top of one of the full profile sections.
The Retreat House is meant to function as a weekend vacation place for two people, or as a backyard office/studio. Aesthetically it was designed as a sculpture as well as a functional object. My hope is to introduce a series of structures like this into the marketplace, in order to offer an alternative functional art place in which to escape from the normal boring structures in which most of us live.
Status: Unbuilt
