Suspension House

Some terrains genuinely don’t look like you should endeavour to build a property upon them and that’s definitely the vibe we got upon witnessing the rather extraordinary Suspension House for the first time. This mesmeric piece of architecture from Fougeron is located in California and nestled, somewhat improbably, between two hills. This amazing home spans a creek and boasts a waterfall in the back yard. What’s not to like?

The goal behind the build of Suspension House by Fougeron Architecture was to reconnect this structure into the environment that surrounds it while best making use of the exceptional site for the clients. In the state of California, it is no longer legal for properties to be suspended over a creek. As such, there were stringent guidelines on how use the existing structure as the basis for design. Most crucially, the new home had to follow the exact outline of the existing house and decks. As you can see, the architects have done an incredible job in the completion of this mind-blowing home.

The overriding objective with this incredibly unique plot was to enhance the relationship of the structure to the nearby bodies of water and the rock face. Rather than bearing down and unsettling the creek that lies beneath, the new structural build has been anchored to the bedrock within the flanks of the hill, thereby suspending the home entirely over the water below. This delivers a quite astounding visual impact and makes this one of the most impressive homes we’ve seen in some time here at Coolector HQ.

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To accommodate the expansion of the third floor and to remove previous structural columns in the creek bed, a steel structure was added underneath the existing floors. Instead of endeavouring to conceal this support system, it is exposed on all the floors and adds an interesting and striking aesthetic to proceedings. The Suspension House simultaneously balances the role of architecture – particularly modern architecture – in nature with the role of the client to home.

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