HOOPER HOUSE 2BALTIMORE, 1960MARCEL BREUER

MARYLAND

After studying Breuer’s Hooper House, I first became interested in the idea of the Binuclear plan. Breuer seperates sleeping and living quarters by te use of this Binuclear plan whish is simply two (Bi) core (Nuclear) boxes joined by a narrow hallway.

A section cut through the building expands on the divide between both space. They are almost two completely separate structures.

Breur aimed for the Hooper House to be harmonious and reciprocal with the nature of the site, which explains the use of the fieldstone collected from the site. The entrance to the building from the West elevation is almost camouflaged by the use of fieldstone circumscribing the volume of the exterior. The doorway it self aligns with the glass door of the courtyard leading to the portrait hole cut in the East elevation. This allows you to see directly through the house emphasising it as a long flat almost two dimensional structure. Breuer’s use of a courtyard is an interesting way of creating harmony between site and structure by bringing the outside in. The wall to the courtyard from the living area is largely glass. However, from the sleeping area, wall to the courtyard is completely stone creating the difference of a flow, space and intimacy.