PROJECT: Two Rivers Point
FIRM: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
CONTRACTOR: Wesley Walls, AIA
LOCATION: Little Rock
Stretching above the tree line, this multi-level home for the architect and his family of four realizes a lifelong obsession with owning a treehouse.
This collection of wood and steel, glass and sky afforded an opportunity to embody much of what’s sacred about those forts in the air: the simplicity of its form, the security of a perch and the anticipation of a view. Negotiating an extremely steep site with panoramic views of the Arkansas River and Two Rivers Park, the house was realized as a narrow 22-foot wide bar, anchored by stone into the hillside and supported by pilotis. The stone wall serves as both a visual anchor and a physical barrier between the public entry and private living spaces. The material palette was limited to stone, steel and glass.
In a reciprocal twist to the typical tree house, the home is entered at the upper level into the gallery, a largely transparent form that affronts the stone wall and transitions into a vertical communicating stair that connects each level. This gallery interconnects the public entertaining spaces on the upper level – living, dining and kitchen. The middle level incorporates the master suite, den and guest bedroom, while the lower level contains the children’s suite with two bedrooms and a shared bath.
The idealized treehouse is not trendy. It is simple, even timeless. It is restrained in form, finish and function, while providing an outsized sense of discovery and delight.
OWNER/CLIENT
Wesley Walls, AIA
PROJECT TEAM
Wesley Walls, AIA
CONSULTANTS
Engineering Consultants Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Timothy Hursley & Nancy Nolan
See more profiles from the 2018 AIA Arkansas Design Awards.
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