Turbulence House

Turbulence House (2005) is a glimmering metallic 900-square-foot guesthouse designed for artist Richard Tuttle and poet Mei-mei Berssenbrugge by New York–based Steven Holl Architects. Located on a windswept mesa in New Mexico, the house utilizes the techniques and methods of prefabrication to create a unique one-off structure. The highly sculptural form is composed of 24 compound-curved, aluminum-ribbed, stressed-skin panels. The unique shapes were cut by outlines supplied to a computercontrolled machine. Unlike traditional mass production in which every piece is the same, mass customization allows each one to be different. (Though this house was replicated for an exhibition, the firm’s intention was not to mass-produce similar units but rather to engage with technologies that allow for customized production.) The building envelope was fabricated off-site and erected on-site in only six days, yet the house seems deeply in tune with its surroundings. The structure emerges from the landscape; a tunneled breezeway cutting through it is reminiscent of the magnificent rock formations of the American Southwest that are carved by wind over the millennia. Energy is provided through photovoltaic panels on the angled roof, while a cistern collects and recycles water. The machined Galvalume exterior contrasts with the handcrafted interior, which was completed by local plasterers and steel workers.

http://www.stevenholl.com/
http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/residential/archives/0504RHf-1.asp