The Kaun Beach House (Figure 1) has always been a mystery to me-and I love a mystery. I knew it only from a small plan and a murky photo 1.

A few months ago, I came across a clear photo on the web. After some further digging around on the web, I got a scan of the original 1937 article with that photo, two more, the plan at a larger size and a description of the house (Figure 2). This new information inspired me to further research-which led to a 3D model and this series of articles.

What originally interested me about this house was the exterior material. It is completed covered in horizontal bands of green roll roofing (similar to a roll of green asphalt shingles), visible in the original black & white photos (Fig 2). This seemed such a strange choice. Once I started researching and modeling the building, however, I was fascinated by the wonderful design. I hope you will be too.

Continue reading RM Schindler’s Kaun Beach House 1934-35, part 1 of 3 →