Mask House in upstate New York was designed by WOJR to be “a place of separation and protection that removes one from the world of the everyday and offers passage to an other world”. The Mask House provides a place of refuge and contemplation for a man who lost his his younger brother in the lake that the house overlooks. It is conceptualized as a space comprised of Myriad Sanctuaries – within the context of this project sanctuary is a place of separation and protection that removes one from the world of the everyday and offers passage to an other world.
The transition from everyday to other is drawn-out through a series of thresholds that define a scalar sequence of nested interior – each interior becoming successively more removed from one world and more connected to the next.
The vertical plane of the mask establishes a boundary across the site that creates a condition of sidedness. Mask House endeavors to provide one in search of sanctuary an abundance of opportunities to find refuge within new interiors in dialogue with the surrounding environment.
The interiors are finished in a light-coloured wood, except for the sleeping corner – which is characterized by a dark, felt-like material – and the bathroom, finished with tiles.
The roof of the home was designed as a terrace, which is accessible via an exterior staircase running along the east facade, behind the slatted wall.
all images © Alexis Nicolas Basso