Location: Surrey, Canada.

Architect: Omer Arbel Office.

The house, known as 75.9, is located on a hay farm in the Canadian Pacific Northwest. It is constructed using a unique technique of pouring concrete into fabric formwork, which is deployed within minimal plywood rib structures. The walls and columnar roof forms are created by a slow pour of a special concrete mix, which partially cures throughout the duration of the pour. Micro perforations in the fabric formwork release water from the surface of the concrete as it cures, creating a richly textured woven finish. The technique acknowledges the plastic nature of the material and prescribes its own unique geometry, which is employed to delineate domestic space. The concrete column elements are wrapped in a low-ceilinged zone rendered in wood, which offers relief from the monumentality of the columns and emphasizes the horizontal expanse of the hay field beyond. This compressed zone operates as a conduit, guiding the inhabitants through the residence as it morphs from millwork, soffit, and screen to stair, guard and walkway- under, over and around the columns. The hay field is treated in a similar manner, with the volumes of the residence pulled up, stretched over and wrapped around the berms, allowing the entire building roof to be traversed from the exterior. The fabric-formed elements are treated as if they were found ruins in the hay field landscape, with the house considered a contemporary construction built around and among them. The differing height and positions of each column create a cinematographic narrative of domestic habitation. The trumpet shape of each column is hollow, allowing for the planting of mature trees on the occupied roofscape. Overall, the house is a unique and innovative construction that blends seamlessly with the surrounding landscape while creating a distinctive and functional living space.

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