Located on Michigan’s beautiful Leelanau Peninsula, about 30 minutes north of downtown Traverse City, sits a towering industrial house. In a cherry orchard. Overlooking vast Lake Michigan.
Polyethylene slats skirting its outside walls, placed 2 feet in front of galvanized sheet metal, reflect the light and hues of its surrounding landscape.
As a result, the building appears to change colors like a chameleon.
Dan and Sue Brondyk commissioned Anderson Anderson Architecture to design and build the home, which was completed in 2006.
Since the company used prefabricated materials, Chameleon House took less than 8 weeks to build.
Despite its 9 levels, the building is only 1,650 square feet.
The prefabricated steel is sheathed in a skirting wall of recycled translucent polyethylene slats that protrude two feet from the galvanized sheet metal that clads the walls.
The effect is a ghostly one, allowing the haloed home to simultaneously dissolve further into or reflect the color of the landscape. Its architecture also echoes few farm structures found nearby.
The “second skin” is located two feet from the building and suspended from an aluminum structure that is used for window washing and an emergency fire escape. the material gives the structure an ever-evolving appearance that reflects the landscape around it.
Chameleon House
7452 North Manitou Trail West
Northport, MI 49670
Original
https://andersonanderson.com/cameleon-house/
