Often the pristine views of a lake are undervalued until they exist no longer, as assemblies of boats and their cacophony of engines and other noises deafen the beauty that is provided by Mother Nature. The lake reflection that holds so much life is marred by disruptions and the once at peace landscape is no longer appreciated. The Unbounded room works with this theory and is meant to not be a disruptive force on the gentle waters of the lake or an waterbody in which it is placed. Instead it works with the lake to keep the serene views and work with reflection just as the lake does to highlight the natural beauty of the environment.
How does one go about creating a room that works with nature and not against it? All glass is mirrored, the Unbounded room instead of being seen is partially camouflaged in the setting of the lake, reflecting the water, trees, and any life in peaceful setting. The glass is covered by a rotating louver system, if one turns the louvers towards the thin side it becomes obscured and hardly noticed, if the other side it creates a mild sun shade system on the inside of the room. The entire room is meant to open up, three of the sides have mirrored glass walls and louvers that move up and down. Three quarters of the wall moves up to about half a meter from the top, thereby still creating a shade break for the interior. Meanwhile the remaining third of the wall can either be left alone and act as a rail to the now open room or lie flat to create decking on the three open sides. In essence this allows the room not just to open up to nature but to interact with and become part of it. One can imagine sitting on the expanded deck, feet floating in the water, and looking out to the horizon as you sip your morning coffee, at complete ease with your environment and it with you.
The room itself is modern and minimal yet playful and fun. Yet even then it is designed to work in unison with the lake, it promotes a serenity that sweeps over you as you enter the room and feel at one with the tranquil lake. There is a loft space for the bed and a bathroom with sweeping views of the lake. Wake up to nothing but a poetic horizon line or take a bath and watch the world go by as you float gently along the water. The materials on the interior are wood and metal, both reused and recycled. Additionally the moving walls allows for small (or large) slit openings to be made in the three mirror walls, allowing for the cool lake breeze to regulate the temperature inside the room and reduces any sort of reliance on air conditioning. The room is designed not to fight with nature but to live with it in, to take it’s queue from it and follow its lead, to remind people that the mindfulness of nature is best thing we can take from our surrounding areas.
The Board:
