Title: NOBLE HOUSE
Location Current Site: Boulder CO UNITED STATES
Creator Personal Name: Haertling,Charles A.
Creator Assoc Person Name: Lawrence,Ryan, Mattivi,Mark
Creator Assoc Person Role: Instructor, Photographer
Date.Creation: 1958-1958
Subject.Image Description: Northeast view
Creator.Personal Name Label: Haertling,Charles A.
Subject Image View Type: Exterior, general view
Description.Subject Report: NOBLE HOUSE In 1958, Charles Haertling was asked by the Noble family of Boulder, Colorado to design a house that was unique but cost-effective. Factors for consideration when designing the structure were the stream on the site, the rough terrain, and the assortment of trees throughout. Haertlings initial proposal far exceeded the $16,000 budget given to him by Herbert Noble, (findarticles.com) so he formulated an alternative plan. The second design evoked this reaction from the Noble family: they were horrified when they saw the model of what was to become their house. (atomix.com) However, it was an economical design so they moved ahead with construction anyway.
Haertling achieved the desired cost efficiency of the design through manipulation of the following techniques: repetition, elimination of extraneous structural materials, incorporation of the ceiling into the structure itself, having the wall partitions not extend up to the ceiling, and having the tile floors laid before the partitions were installed.
The principle of repetition can be best seen in the roof of the house. Haertling referred to the roof as being composed of 16 identical leaves. (atomix.com) The interior rafters of the roof were left exposed and stained a different color than the ceiling as if to mimic the structure of an actual leaf. The cost effective part of the repetition was the fact that the leaves were pre-cut before construction to eliminate excess waste.
As for the ceiling, it is a very functional architectural piece while at the same time serving as a structural element. The ceiling was constructed by first assembling the rafter arches that would support the rest of the ceiling or roof. Next, quarter-inch, pre-painted mahogany plywood was laid on top. Two-inch by two-inch pieces of wood were then attached on top of the plywood to allow the installation of insulation. Then more plywood was layered on top of the insulation. Finally, cedar shingles coated the entire roof, (atomix.com).
Another cost effective method utilized wall partitions that do not extend all the way to the ceiling. Since there are many strange angles within the house, matching the walls with the ceiling would have been a difficult and costly task. Therefore, they were all made level, at the same height.
As for the overall design of the house, it was divided into two halves; one side for the parents, the other for the children. At the core of the floor plan is the kitchen, which is sunk down 12 inches lower than the rest of the house to allow for visibility under the floating cabinets. (atomix.com) The cabinets are considered floating because they are not attached to a wall but they instead hang from the ceiling. The two sections are each capped by a skylight with a beveled metal spike protruding from them. (atomix.com) Another unique design element is that the foundation footprint is smaller than the house itself, causing parts of the house to overhang, resulting in the support walls that slope out as well. Vent-like openings can be found on these overhanging walls, which allow for the sounds of the creek to be heard within the structure.
The construction site of the Noble house became a favorite for passers-by on their Sunday drives. It even made a news headline in the Denver Post: Space craft home draws traffic in Boulder. (atomix.com) In conclusion, this 2,200 square foot masterpiece, which Haertling himself deemed the wigwam structure, (homeandgardenmag.com) was the beginning of a very successful career for Charles Haertling, one of Boulders most renowned architects.
(Ryan Lawrence 2007)
ID Number.Former Image Accession VISC: 186770
Date.Image: 2007
Rights Description: Copyright owned by The Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, and the photographer. All rights reserved.
Source.Requestor Full Name: Lickteig, Lynn
Media Type: 186770.tif
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