Volsky House
Early in Haertling's career he was commissioned by University of
Colorado psychology professor Theodore Volsky to design a house for
his family of four on a steep hillside lot extending from a
mountain stream in west Boulder. The lot featured views in all
directions, half of them slightly upwards to the mountains. The
Volskys were interested in taking advantage of these views in a
dramatic living room situation. The prominent upward views
suggested the upwards curving catenary roof form open to the high
view areas while still maintaining interior scale. One gets a 360'
view
from the curtain-less living room of the mountains to the west
and south, and the plains and cityscape to the east and north. The
steepness of the site was accommodated by lowering the house into
the earth as much as possible to the rear and allowing light in by
way of large lightwells. For basic economy a circular
floor plan
was conceived, which allowed for increased circulation in the
smaller
area
of the circle and for larger rooms with minimum access
distance. The living room sits atop the circular form blossoming
at the highest point from the ground that capitalizes on the
excitement of the terrain. The lower level contains a recreation
room and the entry. Upon ascending the stairs one emerges into an
interior
garden
which not only surprises and delights, but also is
very functional in that it serves also as a short cut between
living areas.
During the construction of the Volsky house a dozen of the
neighbors collaborated on a letter of protest regarding its "sheer
grossness", and voicing their concern over "a definite though
incalculable loss of property values." Within a year of the
completion of the house Life Magazine printed a 6 page article on
it in their Ideas in Houses section. In the following years it
appeared on CBS-TV's show "21st Century" hosted by Walter Cronkite,
Schonen Wohnen, and L'Architecture D'aujourd'hui magazines. Since
that time the Volskys have made a hobby of maintaining the house in
its original form.
This page was last revised on June 6, 1995.
