Japanese architecture informs design of Minnesota house by Salmela Architect

A cluster of wood-clad buildings surround a central courtyard at this Minnesota residence by US firm Salmela Architect that was designed for clients who formerly lived in Japan.

The project, called Fifty-Acre Wood, is located in Stillwater – a historic town located along the St Croix River, just beyond Minneapolis. The house rests on a fifty-acre (20-hectare) parcel, the majority of which the clients granted to the Minnesota Land Trust for permanent conservation.

Fifty-Acre Wood is a home in Minnesota that was designed by Salmela Architect

Situated near a waterfall, the property features an oak forest and farm fields that are being reseeded with native grasses. The area supports a range of wildlife, including black bears, foxes, sandhill cranes and blue herons.

The owners are a married couple – Yuko and Paul – who met and lived in Japan before moving to Minnesota with their two young sons. Paul grew up exploring the St Croix River Valley and wanted his kids to have a similar experience.

It is comprised of a collection of volumes which house living and sleeping areas

In contrast to Paul's upbringing, Yuko was raised in the dense Japanese city of Fukuoka, and initially, she felt uncertain about living in a wide-open landscape.

"Her wishes were for a home that felt protected, with the inclusion of familiar cultural references in this unfamiliar setting," said Salmela Architect, a Minnesota firm known for designing homes in a regional modernist style.

The home has views out to the surrounding landscape

The architects conceived a series of buildings that are organised around a central courtyard. The design draws upon two references: a cluster of shed-roof agricultural buildings and a Japanese courtyard house with sheltered, exterior walkways.

The main dwelling consists of two pavilions that form an L-shape and are joined by a glazed passageway. Nearby are a detached guesthouse, a garage and a multipurpose building.

The interior boasts a simple and minimal material palette

"Each of the five structures is positioned according to function, solar orientation and relationship to specific features of the landscape," the firm said.

Facades are clad in cedar, and roofs are covered with standing-seam metal. Interior finishes include slate tiles, quartz countertops and ceilings sheathed in pale-toned basswood.

Paved walkways surround the home

In the main dwelling, there is a clear separation between public and private spaces.

One pavilion encompasses a semi-open kitchen, dining area and living room. It sits on an east-west axis and looks upon a gently rolling field.

The living areas have views across the site in all directions

"South-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows create a sense of interior-exterior continuity, which is reinforced by horizontal wood slats on both the exterior soffit and interior ceiling," the team said.

"This Japanese architectural reference helps softens the acoustics of the hard surfaces within the wide-open room."

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In the kitchen, the team provided views in all directions. A large, northern window delivers sight lines of the home's courtyard, entry path and driveway, offering a sense of security.

The home lacks a traditional foyer. Instead, one enters through a threshold composed of "symmetrical blade walls" that lie between the kitchen and a mudroom.

"While the clients were initially hesitant about the atypical arrival sequence, they have expressed how comfortable it has been to welcome people into their home without the typical awkwardness associated with a formal foyer," the team said.

The home has an open plan design

The home's other pavilion, which holds bedrooms, runs from north to south and hugs the edge of a forest.

"The three bedrooms and two ofuro – shower and tub rooms – look out into the oak forest, which filters warm morning light through its leaves, signaling the start of the day," the studio said.

Tiles cover the floors across the shared living areas

The sleeping areas are arrayed along a corridor that doubles as a workspace.

"It remains shaded throughout the workday, creating an ideal glare-free environment until the low evening sun signals dinner time," the firm said.

The sleeping areas are accessed along a corridor

Throughout the residence, the team incorporated a number of elements to help reduce energy consumption. These include operable windows, a hydronic in-floor heating system, an air-to-air heat exchanger and a high level of insulation.

"Six-foot-deep eaves and a south-facing orientation enable an optimal passive solar strategy that maximises heat gain in the winter while entirely blocking the mid-summer sun," the team added.

Windows were randomly places across the walls

The home also features three skylight boxes that open and close, enabling hot air to escape. At night, the boxes are illuminated with electric lights.

Beyond the main home, the team created a guesthouse to the west, which provides a level of separation and privacy for overnight visitors, including Yuko's parents from Japan.

A sculptural firepit is framed by a squared window

To the north is a two-stall garage and the "barn", which is a multipurpose space for playtime and storage. The buildings are accessed by paved walkways that surround the courtyard.

"Exterior walkways ring the interior courtyard that is seeded with native vegetation – a microcosm of and counterpoint to the larger landscape restoration project," the team said.

The home was fitted with a number of environmental and green systems

Other projects by Salmela Architect include a home for a physicist and eye doctor that is meant to resemble a "scientific instrument with multiple viewing apertures" and a solar-powered house that was created for an architecture professor.

The photography is byCorey Gaffer.

Project credits:

Architect: Salmela Architect
Team: David Salmela (principal), Kai Salmela (design lead), Emre Erenler
Energy consultant: Malini Srivastava
Structural engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson
Contractor: Cates Fine Homes

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Salmela Architect wraps Feldmann Residence in Minnesota with Black stucco

American firm Salmela Architect has created a Minnesota home for a physicist and an eye doctor that is meant to resemble a "scientific instrument with multiple viewing apertures".

The Feldmann Residence is located in Wayzata, a suburban community near Minneapolis. The dwelling stands out in its neighbourhood, which is dotted with expansive homes, many of them traditional in style.

Salmela Architect wrapped the house in black stucco

"It sits in stark contrast to the neighbouring architecture of the semi-wooded, suburban location – in its purist abstraction, its abnormally narrow profile, and its relatively modest size," said local firm Salmela Architect.

Built for a physicist, an eye surgeon and their two children, the home is infused with references to the owners' professions and personalities.

Dark cladding camouflages the property in its setting

Rectangular in plan, the two-storey residence lies on an east-west axis and consists of a long, slender bar and a detached garage. A paved area runs between the two structures.

Facades are covered in black stucco that looks velvety during the day. By night, the dark cladding helps the building disappear into its setting.

Feldmann Residence features a viewing platform wrapped in cedar slats

Several protrusions add to the home's distinctive appearance.

"From a distance, the house appears as a black mass with suspended appendages – or a scientific instrument with multiple viewing apertures," the team said.

Wooden finishes also feature inside the home

Emerging from the roof are two pyramid-shaped volumes with skylights.

On the north elevation, a small glazed box – which holds an office – juts out from the upper level and projects toward a lake.

On the south, a large box wrapped in cedar slats extends from the upper level and appears as "a telescoping volume of horizontal lines". This protrusion serves as a screened porch and also helps shade the lower level.

An open plan kitchen and dining room inside

Inside, the home features wooden finishes, contemporary decor and bright rooms. A key component of the interior are the skylights, which bring daylight down into the core of the home.

"In the morning, the east-facing skylight draws in red-hued sunlight, while the west-facing skylight brings in cold, blueish light from the receding night sky," the team said.

"This relationship is slowly inverted throughout the day, with a uniform equilibrium achieved at noon."

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In terms of programme, there is a clear delineation between public and private spaces.

On the ground floor, the east end holds the kitchen and dining room, while utility spaces are found on the west.

An outside patio with surrounding views of the landscape

In the centre is a double-height living room with a masonry fireplace. A chimney rises 35 feet (11 metres) through an opening in the floor above. Similar chimneys were created for two outdoor terraces.

Located on the upper story are the sleeping areas. To one side is the parents' suite, and to the other is a pair of children's bedrooms.

Feldmann Residence was designed as "a scientific instrument with multiple viewing apertures"

In the central area is a family room and openings to the floor below, along with access to the screened porch and office.

"The long, screen porch connects the two halves and functions as an extension of the indoor family room," the team said.

"A small, private office provides a place of quiet work, study, or contemplation, with tranquil views of a tree and the lake beyond."

Salmela Architect was founded in 1994 and is well known for buildings designed in a regional modernist style. Other projects by the studio include a retreat in a Wisconsin forest and a solar-powered house that was created for an architecture professor.

The photography is byCorey Gaffer.

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