Arthouse: Schwarz /Silver Architects

Conceived as a "museum for living," Schwartz/Silver's Davoli-McDonagh residence in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is filled with individual expression and varied viewpoint. As a work of art that also accommodates other works of art, the house is a veritable prism of creativity. The spirit behind this 14,500 square-foot residence is the husband-and-wife client team of Robert Davoli and Eileen McDonagh--he a blues singer and venture capitalist, she a professor and feminist activist. The couple gave the award-winning firm Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston free rein to develop a compelling architectural idea. Their sole requirement was that the overall scheme preserve the natural attributes of the five-acre site, with its rolling topography, heavy trees and ground cover, and a steep 80-foot drop-off that leads down to a mile-long lake. This book includes contributions from designers Mikyoung Kim, Tsao & McKown, Office DA and artists such as Milan Klic, Taylor Davis and Ilan Averbuch. The design and building process is chronicled by photographers Shellburne Thurber and Alan Karchmer.