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Umbrella House Creates Shower of Inspiration
The forecast is shade, reduced cooling costs and striking visuals for houses with canopies inspired by a 1950s icon
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
In the early 1950s, Paul Rudolph designed the iconic Umbrella House. The dominant feature of the house is the large umbrella-like canopy that shades the front and back. Though the original wood umbrella structure fell prey to hurricanes, the new owners of the house have rebuilt it using aluminum. While visually striking, the umbrella has a practical side, reducing the home's cooling costs by 30 percent.
In researching photos on Houzz, I was struck by just how many modern houses have been inspired by the Umbrella House.
In researching photos on Houzz, I was struck by just how many modern houses have been inspired by the Umbrella House.
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by Ciulla Design
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| This is the south side of the Umbrella House in the evening. Clearly, something to shade all that south-facing glass is needed. |
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by Ciulla Design
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| And the architecture of the umbrella structure clearly does wonders for the house. Imagine removing the structure. The only thing left would be a box that would be almost impossible to cool in the heat of a Florida summer. |
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| Houses in hot climates need shading devices. And the larger the better, as shown here at Casa Peraguas by the Merzau Design Collaborative of Austin, Texas. From the ABA rhythm to the two-story wall of glass to the large overhead canopy and detached columns, it's hard not to notice the similarities between this design and that of the Umbrella House. |
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| As in the Umbrella House, this Berkeley, California, home incorporates an independent roof structure that extends out beyond the house's exterior walls. The thin columns that support the roof create a framework containing the home, as in the Umbrella House. The big difference here is how the house isn't just a cube of space. Rather, it's as if the Umbrella House were pulled apart and jostled to accommodate a diiferent site. |
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| The overall larger size of the white frame of this house establishes a cube within a cube. The outer cube is connected to the inner cube with roof slats to create a shading device not unlike that of the Umbrella House. |
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| In this house, the umbrella doesn't extend over the entire home. Rather, the shading device is located just where absolutely desired to shade the large expanses of glass along what appears to be a south-facing elevation. The shading device is, like that of the Umbrella House, raised above the roofline and designed to be independent of the main structure. |
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| Certainly forgoing the columns supporting the umbrella is an option, though doing so eliminates the cage and the layered spaces that are created by those columns. What's left is a shading device that, by floating above the roof of the house and jutting out into the surrounding space, emphasizes the horizontal and open rather than the defined and enclosed. |
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| Whether the shade is created by linear slats or fabric, the idea is the same, the desire to wrap and shade the house. While the linear slats of the Umbrella House create a distinct and changing pattern of shadows on the home's surfaces, fabric provides a colorful and kinetic experience. Next: Hello Again, Umbrella House More regional modern architecture: Chicago | Boston | Austin | NYC | NY Metro | Oregon | No. Calif. | San Francisco | Seattle | L.A. |
Comments
rebkot Why do men often like these modern homes that resemble a stack of railroad boxcars?
14 months ago · Like
Monica Smith Some of we women like them also, beats the grandmother look!
14 months ago · Like
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midmodfan You rock, Monica!
14 months ago · Like
Pat Lee_Bosworth Monica, I may be a 'granny' but my heart is definitely anti-granny looks.
14 months ago · Like
Jan Yatsko Yes, but the side view of a slanted overhanging roof is very sexy! 
14 months ago · Like
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janehazle Have you seen the homes made out of old boxcars/shipping containers? Awesome and inspiring in a high end setting. And can be cheap method of housing in a disaster area like New Orleans, or in a third world country.
14 months ago · Like
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mainegirl5 Nope, sorry, I can't rationalize it. It's ugly. And I really love some modern designs.
14 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on April 3, 2012.
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