Ann Arbor, MI (2014)
Project Size: 75 SF

Fusion Porch is an exterior addition that imagines a distinct, yet integrated entry sequence through playful experimentation with the relationship between material language and performance. Inheriting a palette of rusted metal and brick from the exterior of the existing house, the porch expresses a subversive re-coding of these materials that confuses, blurs, and otherwise obscures a clear distinction between surface and structure.

Each element of the new addition makes reference to the features of the existing house, but articulates these references with a twist: the rusted metal used to clad the existing rear addition takes on a new role as the column and roof framing of the porch. Inversely, the brick soldier course of the front elevation reveals itself as a veneer, peeling away from the house to wrap the wood deck platform. Underfoot, a rubberized steel carpet “rolls out” from the front door, spilling into an illusory thin floating stair. Overhead, the porch is protected from sun and weather by a kinked shed overhang that echoes the geometry of the rear roof line.

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This project was completed in collaboration with:

Kasey Vliet - Design
Mick Kennedy - Advisor