Posted on 1/23/2016
Designed for an engineer and an artist, the Topo House is an apt name, given the way it peels up gently from the Wisconsin landscape, melding itself with the site's topography. Johnsen Schmaling Architects' low-slung design can also be seen as a response to the state's cold climate, deflecting the cold breezes to maintain a comfortable interior from which the surrounding land can be glimpsed. The architects answered a few questions about the award-winning project
What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?
The Topo House was designed for a biomedical engineer and his wife, a sculptor and installation artist. After living for two decades in an old converted church in downtown Madison, the couple, both avid bikers, decided to relocate to the countryside to be closer to nature and have direct access ...