House on mount desert island

House on Mount Desert Island
Maine
Peter Forbes Architect

HSS HELPS ARCHITECT TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF SPECTACULAR SITE Inert Properties of Steel Help Create Allergy-Free Environment
When Architect Peter Forbes was given the commission to build a house on a wooded, five-acre lot on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, he was charged with making it conform to three particular concerns of the owner.
First, he was asked to fully integrate the home with its beautiful natural surroundings and view of the distant mountains of Acadia National Park.
Second, he was to take full advantage of the passage of time, both daily and seasonally, to create an environment with constantly-changing light patterns and moods.
Finally, he needed to choose materials that would resist mold, dust and other allergenic materials, as the owner was acutely allergic to a large number of natural and man-made substances and can not be exposed to them for prolonged periods. HSS Creates Grid of Eight-Foot Cubes
Forbes elected to use steel Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) to create an open framework of 8-inch square HSS—open to eliminate mold or accumulated dust, and steel because of its inert, non-allergenic qualities.
The interior of the house is divided into a grid of 8-foot cubes by the horizontal and vertical HSS beams. A main staircase is angled obliquely through the grid to the second-level platform, from which a spiral staircase continues to the third-level platform. An elevator also connects the three levels. Within this white-painted HSS framework, Forbes suspended the floors and rooms to create platforms floating in space. There are no interior walls so that air can be freely circulated and exchanged, a requirement dictated by the owner’s allergies. The only vertical partitions—made of cedar and finished with a water-based stain—serve to separate the bathrooms and closets from the living area.
Despite the absence of partitions, the strong geometry of the HSS grid gives