Insane in "The Brain"

Nestled in Seattle, Washington is a 14,280 cubic-food cinematic laboratory (and, more importantly, the home of my dreams) entitled "The Brain." Designed by Tom Kundig for Olson Kundig Architects in 2002, "The Brain" was created for a filmmaker client that needed a space to, well, create.

Using the neighborhood birthplace of invention (yep, the garage!) as inspiration, Kundig formed a cast-in-place concrete box in hopes of providing a strong yet neutral background to allow for the filmmaker's flexibility. Kundig writes, "The filmmaker was completely open-minded, but he was also very clear what he wanted and how he wanted it to feel...and he trusted us to follow through meeting those ideas with the architecture."

One of those ideas? The incorporation of a fireman's pole into the design. "The fireman's pole [was] completely the owner's idea and he bought it years before he even knew he would build a 'Brain.' He always wanted a fire pole somewhere in a place he lived (or worked) to [get] from floor to floor," says Kundig.

Another fun detail of the space? A custom doggy window for the filmmaker's pup to stare out into infinite space. Kundig writes, "The space, the volume and how it feels to be in it [is] impossible to photograph, but is one of those happy architectural moments where all the elements, from exterior to interior, conspire silently between each other to make it a special place to be and think."

Of course, when it comes to thinking, working and living, it's sometimes difficult to delineate space and locations in your home. Kundig speaks to the balance of work/life for any homeowner: "It is an important lifestyle decision that is idiosyncratic to everybody. Some people like to work in their home -- a seamless work/live relationship. This can mean that work is your life. Or, as is the case in 'The Brain,' a small gap can exist between where you work and where you live so that you can 'close the door" to your work.'"

Although I fully agree with Kundig's thoughts on the balance of work/life space, I'd have quite a hard time "closing the door " on this space. I imaging Fido feels the same.

For more drool-worthy architecture, read on:
-Container Homes
-Would You Live in a Knitted Home?