Interventions upon Architecture
Site model with window screen prototype in place. Existing conditions model constructed as a collaborative studio effort.- This residence designed by W. G. Clark is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its austere construction is an example of a masterful use of Modernist form, proportions and materials. This project's challenge was to intervene upon Clark's house to manipulate natural light and views.
Curtains in the conventional sense have no place in this home. When a designer is faced with adding to architecture with a capital "A", how can changes be made to respect the existing while addressing its limitations? I approached a window treatment solution by re-thinking another architectural invention--the curtain wall. 
http://www.wgclark-architects.com/hill2.html
A double-layered perforated metal screen clips to the interior of the structural CMU wall. Both screens are identical with 6" holes in a straight grid pattern. The back screen rotates ever so slowly taking it from total alignment with the front screen allowing for the most light and views to the closed position eclipsing both light and views.
The back screen rotates with the slowness of a clock's hour hand. It can be programed to be closed in the mid to late afternoons when the sun's light is the most problematic for this western facing window. With programmed open and closing times, the homeowners can approximate the time of day or night without looking at the clock.
A series of perforation studies were conducted to explore patterns. Patterns created by straight grids are very different from patterns created by staggered grids. Using both pattern types for different light manipulations creates a cohesiveness language for the separate interventions.- The existing frosted glass divider between the kitchen and the dining room is backed by a double-layered screen. Both screens are identical, but its 3" holes are in staggered alignment. The second screen's perforations are rotated to create a radial pattern. When morning light comes through the kitchen windows, the pattern's shadow appears clearly. The screen pattern is less apparent when it is not back lit from morning sun or artificial light.
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