Palm Beach, Florida
Located on a narrow, flat, side-walled site, this private residence has an open view of Lake Worth to the west. The parti is clearly organized to take advantage of its orientation. Within the front block to the right and left of the entry are the private spaces; to the right, the master bedroom suite above the ground-floor service areas; to the left, a guest wing with two bedrooms and baths on each floors. Behind this, facing the water, are the public areas, a pavilion for entertaining with a library above. The plan is an inversion of the expected sequence of spaces; one must penetrate the private zones on the street side in order to reach the public areas facing the view. This inversion serves to heighten the dramatic impact of the latter. The diagram of public and private is pulled apart decisively so that there is a very strong separation of the elements in both plan and section.
Thus, the private spaces are rectilinear; the public spaces, curvilinear. The separation is also clearly articulated in terms of materials. The private spaces are covered with an opaque material, stucco; the public spaces with reflective, enameled metal panels.
The rectilinear front block is set back from the street by an automobile forecourt. The minimally fenestrated front wall, with its compressed layers of cut-away planes, its extension from one side of the site to the other, and its recessed central entry, further affords privacy. Serving as a massive horizontal gate, this wall unifies the two private wings, the master and guest portions of the house. The master suite, entered through a solid, canopied doorway in the central recess, can be shut off from the guest wing if desired, while the guest wing has separate entries to each of the four units in the back.
理查德·迈耶设计的这栋住宅位于佛罗里达州棕榈海滩，其地形狭长平坦，两侧有高墙。该建筑师采用了独特的设计手法，将公共区域和私人区域进行了分离，使得房间的使用顺序与人们的预期相反。住宅内的私人区域采用矩形设计，而公共区域则采用曲线设计。此外，住宅的材料也体现了公共区域和私人区域之间的区别，私人区域使用不透明的灰泥覆盖，而公共区域则使用反射性的搪瓷金属板。整个住宅被一道墙隔开，前部分为私人区，后部分为公共区，这道墙还起到了隔离车道的作用。在整个住宅中，迈耶巧妙地利用了建筑空间和材料的对比，打造出了一个简洁而又优雅的住宅建筑。
