SAILING IN PARADISE: DOUGLAS HOUSE, RICHARD MEIER, 1971-73

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.2163252313097

• Palavras-chave: Modern single-family house; Douglas House; Richard Meier; Architecture of the 1960s-75s.

• Keywords: Modern single-family house; Douglas House; Richard Meier; Architecture of the 1960s-75s.

• Abstract:

  The present work aims to document and analyze a modern work from the early 1970s, by the American architect Richard Meier and his team: the Douglas House (1971-73), in Harbor Springs, Michigan, United States. Richard Meier is part of a group of architects who had an important role from the 1960s onwards. Their houses incorporate elements of early modernism and are reportedly inspired by Le Corbusier's “white architecture”. Douglas house has an interesting history, with ups and downs. It received awards, had several owners, fell into decay and ended up being restored and declared a national heritage site. Its first owner liked an earlier Meier house, the Smith House, and wanted one like it. Architect and client reached an agreement, and the house is only a close relative of its predecessor. The extremely steep lot required special technology. The solution, on several levels, masterfully explores natural light, surrounding views and nautical motifs. The residence was listed in 2016, along with its site, a lush natural landscape on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is, therefore, a building whose destiny is to remain intact in the midst of the nature that surrounds it, giving it the status of a cultural landscape.