Skolnik Residence

LOCATION: Franklin, MI
YEAR: 2005


The clients came to McIntosh Poris wanting more than the conventional look and feel of their existing home. The couple, both doctors with three children, felt that a cleaner and more abstract aesthetic would better suit their family's lifestyle. They chose a site in Franklin with an existing 1950s-era ranch.

The new house consists of engaged volumes which nestle into the site. The rear elevation creates a pedestal from which stone paths extend out into the landscape. Stone, wood, and glass create the skin of the house, a series of porous layers from the front to the back of the site which correspond to the levels of privacy the clients' desired. The garage and master bedroom create wings which frame the view from the central living space to the ravine beyond. Inside, volumes clad in wood and stone define various spaces without enclosing them.