Robert Maschke Architects

Mintz Residence

Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson
Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson

MINTZ RESIDENCE

Robert Maschke Architects

ARCHITECTS
Robert Maschke Architects

PHOTOGRAPHS
Eric Hanson

AREA
4929.0 m²

YEAR
2009

LOCATION
Cleveland, United States

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The Mintz Residence is an urban villa located on Cleveland’s near west side. Despite being situated within the urban context of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, its “virgin” site is an idyllic enclave within a park-like setting.

Uninterrupted views of Lake Erie and Cleveland’s downtown and industrial flats, as well as the site’s proximity to a busy vehicular thoroughfare, keep the project connected to its urban environment.

Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson
Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson

Designed for a couple, one of whom is a photographer, the program called for spaces to live, work, and play.

These were distributed on four levels due to a limited footprint and a desire to take advantage of the spectacular views afforded by the site.

This vertical organization gives the architecture a sense of urban density even in contrast to its residential scale.

The architecture of the Mintz Residence is articulated as a series of minimal and discrete volumes which continually stack and shift, both in plan and in section, generating the building’s massing.

Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson
Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson

More than a compositional device, these formal manipulations take advantage of the singular opportunities and constraints of the site.

Instead of a monolithic geometry, the multiple shapes suggest a subtle integration into the dramatically sloping hillside.

Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson
Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson

As the volumes stack and overlap, the resulting interstitial spaces form a series of terraces and cantilevers which shelter exterior space.

On the interior, intersections between volumes create dramatic double height and mezzanine spaces, blurring the boundary between communal and private domestic zones.

Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson
Mintz Residence
© Eric Hanson

The exterior fenestration is composed of a variety of different apertures. The resulting effect is to create a distinctive sequence of views, including vistas, panoramas, and glimpses, which recalibrate the viewer’s engagement with the surrounding context as one experiences the diversity of spaces in the residence.


Mintz Residence
Elevation
Mintz Residence
Section


Mintz Residence
Floor Plan
Mintz Residence
Site Plan

Robert Maschke Architects
T +1 216 2816421
Robert Maschke Architects
6421 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, OH 44102, United States