Distillations: the Architecture of Margaret Mccurry

McCurry describes her design concepts and gives a glimpse into the deeper thought process behind her homes and how they have become distillations of an American architecture as in the following excerpt: ‘This new Wisconsin retreat has provided an interesting spatial and organizational challenge given the clients’ varied program that includes many guest rooms, bunkrooms, an indoor pool and separate guest house/garage as well as both indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. McCurry sited the elements of the house and guest house to create a “pinwheel” off of an open clearing in the forest whereby the program spaces became the “spokes” of the wheel connected by an interior “rim” of circulation, which also provides entry points into the house and axial views towards the lake. This scale reducing scheme also provides distance between the guest rooms, bunkrooms and the master suite so that privacy is maintained.’