It’s not every day you come across a work of contemporary architecture in the suburbs. New York-based design firm PARA-project has added a touch of modernity to a residential neighborhood in Syracuse, N.Y., designing the ultra-minimalist, sleek Haffenden House.



Based off Italian architect Gianni Pettena’s stark Ice House, the all white, cuboid structure sits between two existing homes and serves as the writing studio of two poets. While the ground level of Haffenden House functions as a garage, the upper floors consist of a library and a reading room on the highest level.



Much of the building has been designed with lighting in mind. Haffenden House's translucent silicon-filled fabric skin allows for daylight to enter the interior, while a bowl-shaped division inside the reading room curbs and maximizes the lighting for the floor below. Judging from its clean, lofty feel, Haffenden House is sure to satisfy and inspire its owners.

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[via DesignBoom]