The Box House

Fundamentals of Autodesk Revit

Under Senior Instructor Rob Pyatt

A residence by Maya Lin Studio

Telluride, CO, 2006

The Box House is a custom residential project designed by Maya Lin Studio in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. In this exercise, we were asked to recreate a revered project of our choice using Autodesk Revit.

Situated in the mountains in southwestern Colorado, this 4000 square foot residence evolved out of a desire to create the simplest of forms - a wooden box - set at the edge of an aspen forest. The structure is composed of two separate wood clad volumes connected by two levels of outdoor decks. The larger main house emerges from the aspen grove while the second box is embedded within the forest.

In each floor plan one interior wooden box is set within the larger volume - there are no other interior walls. The house is in essence a box within a box. The hidden sliding panels and doors concealed within the interior boxes operate to define the different rooms, from the master bedroom to the master bath to the upstairs study. Privacy from room to room is maintained, though the box can open up completely to create rooms that flow from one zone to the next. The exterior volume has hinged wooden shutters that frame the outdoor decks that open up to create exterior spaces that extend into the landscape. When the client is away, the box literally closes up, shuttering itself in.

The house frames the exterior, giving one a new way of looking at the landscape and surrounding mountain range. The house provides a full 270-degree panoramic view that unfolds as one walks through.