SUMMER 2018
House 6
by Cultured Lifestyle Staff
EXCERPT:
The sixth custom home designed by Fu Tung Cheng, House 6 is a monolith of human proportion and warm, natural materials. The house is a place of refuge and repose, one that warmly envelopes its inhabitants and guests—the home’s 12-inch concrete walls providing a sense of safety and security.
The concept was to create a building that, while minimalist, would convey integral tactile design and craft throughout by “playing” with and controlling the mix design of the concrete walls as they were being poured. The only element remaining from the original house is the kidney-shaped pool, refinished to harmonize with the house.
At first glance, the two-story house reads as a modern fortress, but upon closer inspection this “fortress” is surrounded by a lush, colorful garden that mounds up to embrace the exterior walls making it seem as if the structure is rising from the earth. Spontaneous color and texture placed by hand within the concrete walls make the home warm and approachable. The entry canopy greets visitors at a height that is almost touchable as the sound of the indoor/outdoor water feature ushers visitors into an intimate foyer area. Human connectivity and scale were key to maintaining the idea of “refuge.” House 6 is not spectacular in size, but a collection of intimate spaces inside and out—even the “grandest” space, the living area, is large without being excessive.