Moen Residence

Location: West Des Moines, Iowa, USA

House area: 7,900 square feet/734 square metres

Description: The original house was an ambitious reflection of an array of both passive and active solar concepts in a strong, modernist vocabulary of building elements. With south-facing overhangs, earth-covered roofs, tile floors, and an open floor plan, it responded to far-reaching concerns of energy conservation.

Over the next 25 years, nearly all the initial precepts of the house were challenged by the owners, resulting in extensive and pervasive modifications. The result was a house divided, devoid of any rational circulation system and decorated with plush carpets, patterned wallpapers, mirrored walls, and traditional furniture.

The project reconstructs, reconsiders, and reinterprets the original design. Begun by stripping nearly every surface back to the original structural concrete walls, concrete floors, and pre-cast roof decks, spaces were reordered along a circulation spine on both upper and lower levels. Interior living space was opened once again to expansive southern exposures. Carpets and ceramic tiles were replaced with either limestone or honed black granite.

A palette of black stained ash, limestone, black granite, stainless steel, veneer plaster, and sanded glass were used to define rooms and delineate building parts. The primary interest was to create restrained and ordering living spaces that provided a backdrop for a developing collection of furniture and art.