Forest House | STUDIO RAZAVI + PARTNERS

Louis Kahn’s layout for Fisher House was based on the simple interplay of two squares and how articulating them at specific angles allowed him to organize not just the floor plans, the views out but also how the building would relate to its immediate context.

Forest House sits on a densely wooded land, surrounded by century old trees towering at above 30 meters. Two squares of identical dimensions, shifted to allow for a maximum developed surface, to allow more natural light in, greater flexibility of layout and appropriate scale in relation to the site. To address the cathedral-like context, the roof lines are pulled up, elongating facades, creating a slimmer profile that gradually blends in. Shifting the squares in plan also allows views inward, from one volume to the other and creates spatial opportunities outside, all around the house as the interrupted sequences of perspectives allow for it to sit more gently in the landscape.

Photography: Simone Bossi & Mathis Camacho