Vista Drive Pavilion

Boulder, Colorado / Residential

Collaborators

MK Construction

R-Design Landscape Architects

James Florio

Awards + Recognition

2020 AIA Colorado: Award of Distinction

2020 AIA Colorado: Award of Excellence

Publications

Enki Magazine

Dwell

Dezeen

Inspired by the works of artist Robert Kelly, the Vista Drive Pavilion is a composition of solids and voids, darks and lights, and varying levels of transparency. The residence sits nestled amongst the trees, rooted in a neighborhood of midcentury influences and ranch style homes.

The house is a black, trapezoidal volume topped with a unique 5-ridge metal roof. It is penetrated to expose the light-filled interior and develop visual and physical connections to the adjacent gardens; each aperture providing its own quality of daylight as the day progresses. At night, the blackened wood siding disappears into the darkness, leaving only a uniform glow where these portals occur. 

The interior pallet of white walls and white oak floors shine through, yielding clean, modern spaces that remain bright and inviting. The kitchen, unlike the rest of the home, is a dark central core reflecting the blackened exterior, drawing attention to itself as the focal point and heart of this modern home. The rest of the house pinwheels around as a continuation of solids and voids. Public spaces weave throughout and remain open and inviting, while the ‘solid’ spaces, the private rooms, are intimate and comforting.

The ceiling above follows the rooflines, creating unique geometric configurations in each area, lower over intimate spaces, taller over common spaces. What’s left is a black silhouette exterior quietly containing a complex composition of form and light, made to balance function and creative expression.