Project Description
This architectural model represents the Smith House, one of the most celebrated works by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier. This specific rendition was created as a case study for an university, meticulously built from laser-cut white Plexiglas and gray MDF to reflect the original blueprints.
The Smith House is renowned for its strict “programmatic separation” between public and private living spaces, a theme clearly visible in the model’s geometry.
- The private side (Entrance): Facing the land and forest, this side appears as a solid, opaque “white box”. It is punctured only by small, intermittent windows that shield the bedrooms and utility areas from view.
In stark contrast, the side facing the water (Long Island Sound) is a dramatic, three-story glass enclosure. This transparent skin frames the nature outside, making it part of the interior experience.
The monochrome model is made of laser-cut white Plexiglas that imitates the house’s actual colour, while for the ground support we used gray MDF. The windows are made of translucent Plexiglas that hides the interior, as this section was not relevant to the project.
As a student project, this model is a presentation scale model used to analyze site integration. The use of a gray base represents the “rocky shoreline” of the Connecticut coast, showing how the house acts as an “artificial object” that contrasts with the natural slopes and evergreens of its site.
