JEMM Residence

This project is a modification of the front façade of an existing mid-1990’s ranch style home located in Omaha, Nebraska. The initial concepts were guided by the desire to accentuate the horizontal planes of the original design, while introducing textural materiality that would rhythmically denote the main elements of the façade and give focus to the entry in a textural composition rather than through the use of forms and massing.

The extrusion of different layers of materials such as wood, glass, and concrete with an underline of horizontal similitude, allow the entry sequence to generate interest in a quiet and tactile manner. The process of “making” has always been something that has an intense interest in our work, in this case making the corrugated concrete wall as an expression of the form rather than the finish product was an opportunity of imprinting a residue. The capture of a single moment in the process of constructing, the moment when the forms were created and placed to receive the agent--concrete in this case--solidified the evidence of the construction process.

The tactile experience of a door that is sequential--a continuous part of the façade--is another interest explored in our work. The rusted steel base plate anchors the door and provides another layer of materiality. The gray stucco provides a background in which these horizontal materials can be orchestrated.

Illumination as another layer of crucial materiality reinforces the rhythmic framework to highlight the original design concept.