Mural House is a single-family residence located in an urban infill lot in a historic section of Burlington, Vermont. The house is located on a corner lot with a sloping landscape backed by 100’ tall pine trees to the east and distant lake and mountain views to the west. The urban context is composed of a mixture of university buildings and single-family homes.

The clients desired a contemporary aesthetic following the ideology of Ezra Pound’s simple but elegantly stated principal, “Make it New.” The structure is composed of two opposing cantilevered forms cascading with the sloping landscape. The black stained cedar forms are visually separated with a glass transom accentuating the division of the upper and lower forms. The transparency of the house creates a visual connection to the streetscape while the landscape walls and courtyard space provide a privacy from the closeness of the neighboring homes, public sidewalk and the road intersection at the corner lot. The dwelling is designed for experiencing art, including a large-scale rooftop mural by local artist Clarke Derbes.

ARCHITECT
Birdseye

BUILDER
Dubuque Construction

MURAL
Clarke Derbes

PHOTOGRAPHY
Erica Allen Studio