TitleMedina Guest House Floor Plan
Architect
James Cutler
(American, b. 1949)
Date1992
MediumPrismacolor pencil on Strathmore paper
DimensionsSheet size: 10 1/4 × 15 1/4 in.
Framed: 10 1/2 × 15 1/2 × 3/4 in.
SubmissionNA diploma presentation, May 3, 2017
Credit LineNational Academy of Design, New York, NY
Object number2017.2.1
Label TextCutler's most prominent and highly praised work includes the design of Bill Gates’s family compound in Medina, Washington. His diploma submission consists of two drawings he did for the Guest House on the property, which was completed in 1993. Situated at the high end of a steep, suburban lot on Lake Washington, the 1,700-square-foot guest house was the first in this compound of buildings designed to combine state-of-the-art computer technology with environmental sensitivity. The intent was to test managerial, aesthetic, and structural systems in this initial building before continuing with the rest of the complex. The guest house was sunken into the earth so that it would be barely visible from the entry drive. The residence is glass on two sides, where sliding panels open its interior to the outside; the remaining two walls are concrete. One enters the house between two board-formed concrete walls, with light visible only in the distance, drawing the visitor into the earth-covered structure. Beyond an entry ramp lined with concrete columns, the building flattens and opens out to reveal the view and terrace. For this project, Cutler was awarded an AIA National Honor Award. Collections
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