Minneapolis businessman John Ryan found the perfect place for a getaway home on Hawaii's big island, so he hired architect Christopher Janney to design a place for him. Much of Janney's work is featured in public places and includes such pieces as
Reach New York--an interactive sound and movement piece at a subway station,
The Sound Stairs at Boston's Museum of Science,
The Harmonic Runway at Miami International Airport and the
Sonic Forest at Lincoln Center in New York City. His residential work also explores the intersection on architecture and music.
An etching in the front door is a reproduction of the home's architectural plan, and visitors announce their arrival by ringing a gong. In the courtyard is a stream-like water feature that leads to a fish pond. The sound of the stream is meant to be heard both inside and out.
There are no window panes on the ocean side of the home--only shutters, which let in the sounds of the waves and wind. And a pool at the home was designed to look like it merges with the ocean.
Natural materials were used in the interior design of the 8,000-square-foot home. The public wing contains a living room, dining area and kitchen, as well as a pair of guest suites. Across the central atrium is Ryan's more private wing, where there are no hallways--the rooms connect with each other and all have access to the outdoors.
The wine cellar is designed to look like it's inside a lava tube, where visitors are surrounded by the salt-water fishpond at the home's entrance.
The home was designed to evoke the feeling of descending into the earth or rising up into the sky. And architect Janney left his mark in more than just the design of the home. He also designed some of the furniture to go with the house, and a player piano in the home produces tunes that he composed.
Guests Christopher Janney
Sound artist, architect—PhenomenArts, Inc
75 Kendall Road
Lexington, MA 02421
Phone: 781-862-6413
E-mail:
phenom@rcn.com
Website:
www.janney.com Also in this Episode
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