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ArchDC Summer 2018.qxp_Summer 2018 5/25/18 2:13 PM Page 37

In car talk, “manifold” can refer either to the engine part
that distributes a mixture of fuel and air to the cylinders,
or to the component that collects gases from the cylinders
and funnels them into the exhaust pipe. The automotive
term inspired both the name and the design of the
Manifold House, a project in North Arlington by David
Jameson, FAIA. The client, who works in real estate by
day, enjoys repairing small-scale engine parts in his spare
time—especially those of classic Vespa motor scooters,
which he buys and restores.
“The client grew up around development and
building,” said Jameson, “then went to Florida Southern
[College], where a lot of the campus was designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright. He developed a passion for things
that are made in interesting ways. So I thought, ‘Why
don’t we make a building that is about the act of making,
and celebrates the industrial process?’”
Few things are more quintessentially industrial than
steel. Ever since 1856, when Sir Henry Bessemer introduced
his eponymous method of making inexpensive steel by
forcing air through molten iron, the material has been
associated with numerous technological advances.
Among these was the steel structural frame, which was
critical to the development of the earliest skyscrapers in
the 1880s.
The Manifold House evokes a steel-frame skyscraper
turned inside out. Instead of a masonry or glass curtain
wall hung on a structural frame hidden from view, this
house consists of a glass box set within an exposed
framework of weathered steel. Adding another twist to
this unusual arrangement is a series of vertical steel fins
projecting at various angles, creating a sense of movement
even though they are all fixed in place. Like the famous
metallic screens by modernist sculptor Harry Bertoia, the
house’s louvered frame produces an intricate pattern of
light and dark, of opacity and transparency.
The lively composition of the louvers is not arbitrary.
It reflects numerous rounds of careful study by the design
team, taking into account optimal solar shading as well
as views into and out of the house. Seen from the street,
the structure appears quite solid, but from inside, it feels
remarkably light and airy.
The framework was largely prefabricated by Zahner,
a Kansas City-based architectural metal manufacturer
whose products have been used in high-profile buildings
by Frank Gehry, FAIA, and other famous architects.
Although the Manifold House consists of only two stories
(plus a mezzanine) above ground, Jameson designed the
steel armature with four tiers of two different heights.
The deliberate discrepancy between the layering of the
armature and the cross-section of the house reinforces the
conceptual independence of the nested volumes. Weathered-steel armature surrounding the Manifold House.
The main living area, dining area, and kitchen occupy
a linear, double-height space running the entire length of Project: Manifold House,,
the house. A dramatically suspended fireplace punctuates Arlington, VA
the space and acts as a subtle divider between the living Architect: David Jameson Architect
and dining areas. Parallel to this grand space on the Structural Engineers: Wallace Engineering
ground floor is a band of support spaces including the Contractor: Sagatov Design and Build

MACHINE FOR LIVING 37