Deployable Smocked Porch

Conceived as a riff on the screen porch, this “parklet” was designed to be deployed in parking spaces throughout Iowa’s cities and towns. Designed and built by Substance Architecture, this structure utilizes modest means but high craft to create a welcoming space. The Deployable Smocked Porch aimed to blend the age-old concept of a porch space with contemporary, sustainable design sensibilities. The challenge lay in creating an intimate, adaptive space that was not only easily deployable but also affordable while working in harmony with the environment, making effective use of salvaged and sustainable materials a matter of paramount importance.

The result is an ingeniously simple yet evocative space, framed in reclaimed wood and adorned with smocked insect screening, serving as both shade and enclosure. The curtains open and close to control access while a roof aperture welcomes a measured shaft of daylight, mirroring a similar opening in the turf floor. Coupled with two porch swings, the porch accomplishes the objective of creating an adaptable inside-outside experience. Not only does this showcase an exceptional standard of design on a minimal budget, but the easily deployable structure also stands as a testament to what can be achieved through creative design solutions and sustainable practices. The structure was assembled adjacent to the courthouse square in Winterset, IA where it stood proudly for a summer as a pro bono effort in support of The Iowa Preservation Alliance.