Form and Function

The Spiller House is private residence near the beach and is designed as a year-round residence for two seperate families. The owner´s dwelling houses only one couple.
It is a complex oraganization of two houses; a two-story rental apartment on the south side of the site, and the owner´s four-story dwelling on the north side of the site. The two towers are connected by a system of stairs and platforms interwined with an exposed wood frame, which creates a scaffolding-like feel on the side of the tower.

Location

The Spiller House is located on the West Coast in a close proximity to the ocean. The house has ribbon windows. The different apertures create a different look on the facade on the building. The exposed frames in Spiller House also creates dynamic shadows in the interior which addes a cinematic effect.

Materiality and Light

Gehry wanted to display the aesthetics of the exposed stud structure of the balloon frame construction to have the whole house look as if it was in process.
Light penetrates through shifting central skylights that go all four floors. The frame is exposed through the window to create an uninfinished look as well as dynamic shadows.

Style

The house is considered to be Post-Modern. It venture away from plain facades and begin to use ornamentation. The facades are created from number of off-the-shelf materials. Gehry used corrugated metal sheathing, which is used on many projects including his own home, and a visible wood frame to break the uniformity of a series of boxes and rectangles.

References:

Battersby/Fernandez Lieb House & Spiller House

https://www.bluffton.edu/homepages/facstaff/sullivanm/gehryca/spiller.html

SAGGIO, Antonino. Frank O. Gehry: architetture residuali. Torino: Testo & immagine, 1997. ISBN 8886498276.

A CURA DI MILDRED FRIEDMAN, CON UN SAGGIO DI MICHAEL SORKIN a E COMMENTI DI FRANK O. GEHRY. Frank O. Gehry: architettura + sviluppo. Milano: Rizzoli, 2002. ISBN 8874230680.

EDITORES Y DIRECTORES FERNANDO MÁRQUEZ CECILIA Y RICHARD LEVENE. Frank Gehry 1987-2003. Rev. and extended ed. Madrid: El Croquis, 2006. ISBN 8488386362.

Authors:

Andrea Vášková

Alena Mourová

Max Vanhalst