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The Nail Collector's House

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The Nail Collector’s House The upper half juts out towards Lake Champlain like the prow of a great ship reaching for the water. Golden-yellow wood lies in horizontal planks across all sides of the house, further echoing the impression of a seagoing vessel. All around the delicate structure is the town of Essex, New York and the house itself is docked several yards north of the lakeshore. The Nail Collector’s House, realized in 2004 by Steven Holl and Steven Holl Architects , sits charmingly in this scenery on land occupied before by a historic nail factory. Designed as a writer’s cottage, the house channels the spirit of numerous literary beacons. The methodically arranged windows of the house represent the greatest piece of Greek classical literature The Odyssey . The Odyssey is comprised of 24 chapters, which are represented by the 24 uniform windows in the home’s envelope. Soft, indirect sunlight offer the restful atmosphere needed for a concentrating author, which is appropriately provided by north and west facing windows (see Fig. 1). Additionally, the classic’s main adventurer sails across his world through much of his journey, so the ship-invoking form is fitting to the home’s theme. The small dwelling interacts with the New England landscape in a way that reflects the philosophy of Henry David Thoreau, a poet and leading Naturalist of the mid-19th century. Thoreau sermonized the significance of melding one’s lifestyle with nature – to understand it and appreciate it

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