Gallery

The drawings, the photographs, the house.

An archival presentation of littleBIG House — beginning with the architect's original drawings and unfolding through the spaces they describe.

Section I

Design

Original drawings by Robert Maschke Architects. The house is read first through plan, section, and axonometric — the instruments through which its sculptural geometry was conceived and resolved.

Four plates · 2010–2016

Site Plan — Random Road & Paul Avenue · Little Italy, Cleveland. Architectural drawing of littleBIG House by Robert Maschke, FAIA, Cleveland.
Plate 01Site Plan
Random Road & Paul Avenue · Little Italy, Cleveland
South Elevation & Section A — Folded street façade and interior section through the courtyard. Architectural drawing of littleBIG House by Robert Maschke, FAIA, Cleveland.
Plate 02South Elevation & Section A
Folded street façade and interior section through the courtyard
Floor Plans — Entry · Connector · Upper · Terrace. Architectural drawing of littleBIG House by Robert Maschke, FAIA, Cleveland.
Plate 03Floor Plans
Entry · Connector · Upper · Terrace
Axonometric — Vertical sequence around the interior courtyard. Architectural drawing of littleBIG House by Robert Maschke, FAIA, Cleveland.
Plate 04Axonometric
Vertical sequence around the interior courtyard
Material Transposition — bamboo forest digitized and pierced into perforated steel guardrails at littleBIG House by Robert Maschke, FAIA
Plate 04aMaterial Transposition
Bamboo, digitized · Perforated steel guardrails

"Engineered bamboo runs through the house — sustainable, warm, alive. A single photograph of a bamboo forest was digitized and pierced into every steel railing, so the material reappears as shadow and light on every floor."

Section II

Exterior

At dusk the house resolves into its truest form — a folded vessel of black stucco and zinc, lit from within by the warm interior. By day, the faceted metal skin reads as pure geometry against the sky.

Five plates · Photography by the architect

Courtyard Elevation, Dusk — Glass-walled stair and double-height kitchen seen from the courtyard. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 05Courtyard Elevation, Dusk
Glass-walled stair and double-height kitchen seen from the courtyard
Folded Metal Façade — Faceted zinc and black stucco at twilight. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 06Folded Metal Façade
Faceted zinc and black stucco at twilight
Façade Detail, Day — Standing-seam zinc against open sky. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 07Façade Detail, Day
Standing-seam zinc against open sky
Street Façade — Approach from Random Road. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 08Street Façade
Approach from Random Road
Side Elevation, Dusk — Cantilevered upper volume above the entry. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 09Side Elevation, Dusk
Cantilevered upper volume above the entry

Section III

Interior

Inside, the language inverts. A glass-walled stair rises through a four-story void, sheathed in perforated screens that throw constellations of light across white walls, oak treads, and a quiet collection of art. Beyond the public rooms — a chef's kitchen, a linear fire feature opening to the courtyard, an owner's suite finished in Calacatta marble.

Ten plates · Living, stair, suite

Chef's Kitchen — Custom walnut cabinetry, oversized island, professional appliances. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 10Chef's Kitchen
Custom walnut cabinetry, oversized island, professional appliances
Living to Courtyard — Linear fire feature framed by sliding glass to the private courtyard. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 11Living to Courtyard
Linear fire feature framed by sliding glass to the private courtyard
Stair Hall, Ascending — White oak treads beside the perforated guard panel. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 12Stair Hall, Ascending
White oak treads beside the perforated guard panel
Long Stair, Red Beyond — Four-story stair rising toward the upper landing. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 13Long Stair, Red Beyond
Four-story stair rising toward the upper landing
Gallery Bridge — A hung corridor of art between perforated screens. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 14Gallery Bridge
A hung corridor of art between perforated screens
Folded Skylight — Angular planes carve daylight into the upper void. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 15Folded Skylight
Angular planes carve daylight into the upper void
Through the Void — Looking down the stair shaft toward the foyer. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 16Through the Void
Looking down the stair shaft toward the foyer
Owner's Suite — Bedroom opening to the marble bath beyond. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 17Owner's Suite
Bedroom opening to the marble bath beyond
Owner's Bath — Book-matched Calacatta marble, dual rain showers, soaking tub. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 18Owner's Bath
Book-matched Calacatta marble, dual rain showers, soaking tub
Lower Living — Sectional, wet bar, and full-height glazing to the front garden. littleBIG House, Cleveland's Little Italy, by Robert Maschke, FAIA.
Plate 19Lower Living
Sectional, wet bar, and full-height glazing to the front garden

Continue

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Robert Maschke, FAIA →