The Cape Cod Modern Houses

 A Journey to the Cape Cod, which was held on a beautiful Thursday with friends and an architect, became an unforgettable experience. The Houses, which called cottages, were humble in budget and materials, but close to nature.

 

 Late 1930s, a group of people who were wealthy and intellectual moved to Wellfleet, and began building experimental houses based on the early modern building they have seen in Europe. The community was composed of architects, their family and friends, artists, writers, and thinkers. The modern houses, which these architects built, were being formed as summer houses, that were able to capture breathtaking views and breezes. And these cottages were perching lightly on the land, so that if they are moved by certain power, it could be seemed like there was nothing on the ground before.

 According to the lecture of the trip, these modern houses’ distinguishing characteristics are transparency and dematerializing, which considers light structure. For instance, the architects applied glass curtain walls that can be opened and closed by the owners’ intentional uses, so that they could enjoy the summer lights and breezes efficiently. The architects who built these modern houses tried to recommend different diagrams of living, including nature and art. Rather to choose exotic materials, by using low budget elements, such as wood, glass, and stone, the Cape Cod houses are not only cost-effective, but also earth-friendly. Furthermore, since these houses emphasized on a functional aspect, they were built in a simple and clear way of architecture. And this character led the houses be loved and last long. Moreover, the circumstances of the era, including trees, gardens, and beach, were so beautiful that must have taken the residents’ minds.   

 

 Traveling to the Cape Cod houses meant much more than the knowledge that I have taught from classes. These modern houses, by observing closely, were extraordinary not in their appearances, but in their souls. And today, to preserve this particular diagram of living, a group including contemporary architects is trying to restore the Cape Cod modern houses. I believe that the Cape Cod can be a great source of education and a model for a productive living.