Little House on the Prairie

2022 AIA Huron Valley Honor Award Winner– New Construction Residence

The couple dreamed of a small contemporary home on a grassy prairie near Ann Arbor that would provide them with spaces for cooking together, entertaining friends, and raising children in an environment that supports their love of hiking, biking, and exploring the world.  The clients had spent time in Japan and understood that small spaces could be adequate for their needs.  This home was conceived of as two wings framing an outdoor space with a wall of windows to the rolling hills of the river valley to the northeast.  A one-story living wing houses the living, dining, and kitchen spaces, with a saddlebag home office.  A two-story bedroom wing is set up a half level, zoning this wing as private.  An entry hall connects the wings, forming a “V” that cradles the outdoor patio.  Changes in level differentiate between public and private spaces.  Siding materials differentiate the various volumes of the home:  painted lapped siding clads the living wing, while stucco boards clad much of the bedroom wing, and stained cedar differentiates the garage, entry, home office, and groups windows together by function. The home was completed within a grove of trees in a small portion of the site, allowing the remaining two acres of this site to be planted with natural prairie grasses and wildflowers.