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Bridges Home: A Sense of Entry
Elevated Walkways Heighten the Experience of Arrival
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City.... More »
Seen simply, houses are private domains, and streets are public thoroughfares that connect them and other buildings and places. But in between the street and the house is a transitional zone, a threshold between public and private that offers the opportunity to amplify that shift.
A patch of grass, a driveway, and a walkway are certainly not the only elements to be used in this zone. The following examples use bridges and other atypical walkways to dramatize the movement across this threshold. They provide a sense of entry that heightens one's awareness of the special place they are about to enter.
A patch of grass, a driveway, and a walkway are certainly not the only elements to be used in this zone. The following examples use bridges and other atypical walkways to dramatize the movement across this threshold. They provide a sense of entry that heightens one's awareness of the special place they are about to enter.
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| Incorporating a bridge into an entry sequence typically requires at least a couple characteristics: a unique site and an elevated entrance to the house. This plank-like walkway is elevated over the sand and brings people to the middle of the beach house's three floors. The view through the house and the water via generous glazing implies that the goal is not the house but the beach beyond. |
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| This linear house is perched upon a hilltop, apparently cantilevering itself from this wide walkway.
As in the previous photo, this house opens itself up visually to reveal the vista as one walks along the bridge. The lack of railings makes the approach quite abstract, as if the surface is simultaneously an extension of the street and the house's floor. |
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Another house by Australian architect Ian Moore also utilizes a bridge, this time a narrow bridge with guardrails. Here the bridge seems to cleave the house into two volumes, the one on the right stepping down to the garage. A situation like this might look idiosyncratic, but its parti (diagram) is shared by most suburban houses: The residents' access is direct via a garage, so the approach on foot from the street is for visitors and can be seen as more ceremonial and formal.
The approach to this split-level house overlooking the Pacific Ocean (appropriately called "Sea Cliff") starts to illustrate the importance of what a bridge traverses. Here the landscape is carefully manicured, a microcosm of the larger surrounding landscape. The overhead plane directs one's gaze downwards to the plantings and the vista through the doors beyond.
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Here the landscape to be traversed is more natural in appearance, almost ravine-like with the mix of plantings and large stones. The more dramatic the landscaping, the more it appears that a bridge is the only way to move from point A to point B ...
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... And that is definitely the case here; one would not want to put on waders to get to the front door! This bridge carries people over a small creek lined with large stones. It's a very pleasing transition from public to private with the added benefit of the sound of water washing out the sounds of traffic.
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| Another threshold to cross can be water. The last few photos feature projects with bridges and other walkways moving people across shallow pools. The carefully composed entry sequence here starts with a view of the vista above the house, moves down some steps alongside a bermed landscape, and then moves people across a small pool. The water and plantings are then framed by the large window in the dining room to the right of the entrance. |
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by Birdseye Design
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| The arrival to this house stresses calm, be it in the reflecting pool, stone walkway, and wood walls, columns, and roof overhand. The water is actually tied to a feature that collects rainwater and moves it via a series of terraces around the house. |
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| Here the water feature traverses the walkway in a planter treated like a lily pond. This photo illustrates that a strong sense of entry, a bridging of two zones, need not be literal.
More: Entrance Canopies: The New Porch Translucent Surfaces: Canvases for Light and Shadow High Design With Solar Panels Wrap Your Deck Around a Tree |
Comments
Vanessa Brunner John, I love your ideabooks--I always learn so much from them. The homes here are so beautiful!
24 months ago · Like
John Hill Thanks vanessa and nina. It makes me wonder if a bridge entry needs to lead to a fairly unique home. I can't see one bringing people to a ranch house!
24 months ago · Like
Andrew Scott Projects Excellent Ideabook - , John. Like you, I have always enjoyed the use of bridges as an entry to "the castle".
24 months ago · Like
kgrahi Gorgeous!
24 months ago · Like
Archie Kinzang wonderful idea book
22 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on May 31, 2011.
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