ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Two Visions of the Individual House: Shell vs. Hut

architecture-design · 2026-04-23

In a program long criticized as petit-bourgeois, two individual house projects have emerged. New York architects Susan Kolatan and William MacDonald designed a spatial model based on the shell, evoking the image of a cave, following the ordinary dream of a sweet home. Meanwhile, the French architects Edouard François and Duncan Lewis proposed the hut model, emphasizing ecological living conditions.

Key facts

  • Two individual house projects were developed in a program long criticized as petit-bourgeois.
  • Susan Kolatan and William MacDonald are New York architects.
  • Their design is based on the shell, evoking the image of a cave.
  • The design follows the ordinary dream of a sweet home.
  • Edouard François and Duncan Lewis are French architects.
  • They proposed the hut model.
  • Their model emphasizes ecological living conditions.

Entities

Artists

  • Susan Kolatan
  • William MacDonald
  • Edouard François
  • Duncan Lewis

Locations

  • New York
  • United States
  • France

Sources