A plant bud matures into a flower when there is ample sunlight to encourage it. Similarly, the Blossom House has matured to harness the sun with the demand for natural, daylit environments.

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The guest house is comprised of multiple wings, or "petals" that fan into different cardinal directions, taking advantage of the lighting opportunities specific to each direction.While each wing of the house accommodates certain living spaces, they don't operate autonomously. Rather, they make use of adjacent wings for shading, reflected light, and other effects.

south view

east view

west view

The bedroom wing is primarily oriented to receive morning sunlight through east-facing windows.

The north end of the house is designed to light the core of the building through its use of sky-lighting and clear-story. The light from the atrium primarily helps to illuminate the stairwell, but also provides light to the fringes of second floor rooms that are distant from exterior windows.

bedroom wing

north lobby view

north atrium view

Light studies show the effects of various openings in a facade.
To the right, a sketch model demonstatrates how narrow slits, a possible skin for the Blossom House, produce a visual effect in a theoretical meeting space and circulation corridor.

Below, the wall of a living room is illuminated in the afternoon, providing diffuse lighting in the remainder of the space.

living room

light study models

clay mass models

clay mass model of south facade

A clean, modern form was deemed most appropriate for the building site, since the program defined an innovative guest house for prestigious visitors of MIT. The idea of "petals" remained the primary focus of the project, as numerous sketch models were produced to massage this form.

light study in SketchUp