I have done a reduction or tiny house variation of a Philip Johnson and a Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Now I have designed a tiny house based upon the Eames Case Study House #8. One of my favorite case study houses, the Eames House is International in style, while not as severe as some of the iconic houses of the Internationalists. (The first part of this article is a section from one at Ultra Modern Tiny House. If you do not find the article, it is in the process of completion and will be posted shortly.)

 

The history of the Case Study House Program can be found by clicking this link. No sense repeating what has been described in other articles.

 

The Eames House is located in California at Pacific Palisades. The significance of this house comes from the fact that the house was designed by Ray and Charles Eames as a personal residence and constructed in 1949. A house that the architect will live in, generally displays in detail the tastes and desires of the designer, as in contrast to the possible compromises made in building for others.

 

This residence has two floors and two buildings. One is the main building and the other is studio space. Avant-garde for the time, the rectilinear, window clad walls features areas of primary colors and white and black that gives the feel of a Mondrian painting. The windows, however, are broken up visually, not only by the solid, rectangular areas but by a large number of mullions framing the glass. Essentially, the complex is composed of two rectilinear buildings, with the main building about 2 times the size of the smaller studio building and stretched along the same axis. The structures were built with off-the-shelf parts.

 

By looking at the floor plan, one can see the balance in the design. If one includes the courtyard with the studio, the space taken is about the size of the main building. The layout avoids complexity with unnecessary rooms that one finds in many residences these days. This house also makes a statement about living and working by actually physically separating the spaces, yet retaining the orientation of the two buildings and attaching the two with walkways and courtyard.

 

The original design of this house was concocted by Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen and proposed an elaborate, raised cantilevered form that projected over the drive and front yard. Fortunately, Charles and Ray Eames got together, after spending times among the lush landscape, and created a design less demanding on the environment, replacing the very dramatic with a solemnity and cooperation with nature.

 

This house was so successful that the Charles and Ray Eames lived there the rest of their lives.

The Studio

 

Interior:

Studio:

 

 

HBosler