The Blue House in Five Points is up for the George Matsumoto Prize from North Carolina Modernist Houses. With the recent additions of Trader Joes and Harris Teeter off of Merrimon Avenue, the burgeoning and highly walk-able Five Points neighborhood has become home to new infill construction including to this simple and clever home by a couple of my favorite architects Maria Rosafova and Jakub Markulis of Rusafova Markulis Architects. The Blue House was designed for a young family that wanted a small, energy efficient and affordable house to call home. Their building site presented the architect with numerous challenges and site constraints. An existing sewer easement cut diagonally through the site, leaving a small trapezoidal area to build on. In order to maximize the square footage they designed a vertical, tree house structure elevated from the ground in order to not disturb the roots of the two mature trees that they wanted to preserve. Inspired by Japanese aesthetics, the clients opted for clean lines, simple yet visually striking shapes and open floor plan that provides visual continuity between inside and outside. The modest construction budget dictated the off-the-shelf choice of materials. The architects kept a simple palette of finishes adding visual interest through the use of bold colors and warm plywood walls. If you would like to see the other homes in the competition and vote click here.