Tunnel-House, Pittsford, Vermont


  • Date
    00/00/00 (creation)
Related person
Michael Cadwell (architect)
Date
1986-1987
Description
The Tunnel-House was partially submerged beneath a pasture's gentle slope. Of its thirty-foot length, only the hatchway and the top of the house were exposed. Entrance was gained by opening the hatchway doors, descending into the drum, and following the tapering tunnel into the house with its animistic bed. The building's axis was oriented to the winter solstice. The Tunnel-House was one of four projects, which together comprised a pastoral building quartet (1983-87). All are no longer extant. Each building was concerned with a specific pair of building archetypes, a specific pair of human activities, and a specific relationship to the earth. As a group, the buildings were unified by their wood construction, their rural setting, and an overall seasonal theme. The quartet buildings were situated on various secluded New England sites. They were open to all who found them. Fabrication was done by the architect with friends and was funded, in part, by a grant from the Graham Foundation.. Keywords: United States, Vermont, Rutland County, Pittsford, wood construction, tunnel, residential structure, housing, houses, small building, snow. Submitted by Michael Cadwell for ARCH 626.
Style/Period
1980s (1980 - 1989)
Material
wood (hardwood or softwood)