Shreveport, California
Located on a large lake, the site is a three-acre densely-wooded parcel oriented north-south. The clients, a young professional couple with three children, requested a place of refuge from their work. They share an avid interest in architecture and cited Louisiana Plantation homes and Italian villas as precedents both the house and gardens. The challenge was to synthesize elements of these traditional architecture precedents with the requirements of a contemporary residence.
The resulting design is a pair of two-story wings containing the private house functions joined at the middle by a double-high glass volume containing the entry and living room. The wings are somewhat traditional in their form and proportion, while the center volume, fully glazed at both ends to take advantage of the views, is clearly modern. The house is axially arranged on the site with the long entry drive, foyer, living room and lap pool extending towards the lake. A two-story boathouse and guesthouse straddle this axis and sit on the lake edge. An arcade connects the Porte Cochere and four-car garage to the main house.