Within the vibrant West-side Neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri sits a steep, narrow, and over-grown site. The topography of the site and surrounding city drives the design of this house for a family of four. We call this project the Madhouse. Beyond merely the name of its street address, passers-by seem to comment on the madness of putting a house on the side of an urban cliff. The house oscillates between submersion and immersion - the site drops nearly forty feet from end to end - allowing the MadHouse to extend out of the ground nearly twenty feet.

© John Iiams

Architects: LIONarchitecture · Office Profile

Location: Kansas City, MO, USA

Area: 1400.0 ft2
Project Year: 2015

Photographs: John Iiams · Photographer Profile

Structural Engineer: Trevor Acorn

Mep Consultant: Jerot Pearson

© John Iiams

From the architect. Within the vibrant West-side Neighborhood near downtown Kansas City, Missouri sits a steep, narrow, and over-grown site. The topography of the site and surrounding city drives the design of this house for a family of four. We call this project the Madhouse. Beyond merely the name of its street address, passers-by seem to comment on the madness of putting a house on the side of an urban cliff. The house oscillates between submersion and immersion - the s...