Pizza Hut Residence
New Residential | 8,050 SqFt
Lake MacBride - Solon, IA
The Pizza Hut Residence is a multigenerational lake home rooted in craftsmanship, honesty, and connection to place. Through thoughtful massing, clear circulation, and a refined natural material palette, the home creates a lasting environment for family vacations and beautiful summer days along Lake McBride.
The Team
Architect of Record: Form Function Studio
Consulting Architect: STILL Architecture + Design
Interior Designer: Form Function Studio
General Contractor: Peyton Construction
The Opportunity
The Pizza Hut Residence began as an opportunity to create a true multigenerational lake home on Lake McBride in Solon, Iowa. Designed for a Cedar Rapids family, the home needed to support aging in place for the parents while welcoming adult children and growing families for weekends, extended stays, or entire summers together. The challenge was to craft a residence that felt stately yet humble—honest in its materials and expressive in its making—while allowing the surrounding landscape and water to remain the primary focus.
The Solution
The home is organized into two primary gabled forms that clearly distinguish public and private living. These pavilion‑like volumes spread gently across the site, reducing scale while maximizing views and daylight from multiple orientations. A central circulation space—anchored by the kitchen and vertical stair—becomes the heart of the home, connecting a sunrise porch oriented toward the water with a sunset patio overlooking the lake. Every interior and exterior interaction was intentionally shaped to draw attention back to the serenity of Lake McBride.
Material choices reinforce this clarity and craft. German Schmear brick, exposed western red cedar, painted cedar siding, and a Canadian royal cedar shake roof create a durable exterior that ages with grace. Inside, wide‑plank wood flooring, masonry elements, and exposed cedar beams echo the exterior craftsmanship, forming a cohesive and refined material palette.
The Impact
The true impact of the Pizza Hut Residence will unfold over time. Each room was designed to accommodate growth, shared moments, and quiet retreat—supporting two to three generations gathering around the lake. As the home settles into its peninsula setting, it becomes a backdrop for late summer evenings, rainy days indoors, and years of memories shaped by rest, connection, and the enduring presence of the water.
