PROJECT NAME:
CONNECTICUT COUNTRY HOUSE
ARCHITECT:
STEVEN HARRIS ARCHITECTS
PHOTOGRAPHER:
IRONDALE
PROJECT NAME:
IRONDALE
ARCHITECT:
BIRDSEYE ARCHITECTURE
PHOTOGRAPHER:
MICHAEL BIONDO
Irondale is inspired by the utilitarian buildings of the past that once dominated the region. The area was occupied by an iron foundry supported by hundreds of gable-roofed homes, barns, and sheds in the rich iron valley of Dutchess County, New York. These utilitarian homes reflected the character of place and were built with traditional timber frame structures. They were simple without being basic and had a unique presence without being overt. The architecture of this home projects this utility and tradition.
The two-gable, barn-like buildings are clad in salvaged patinaed barnboard, evoking the history of place. The primary residence gable form, with abutting shed to the east and flat roof to the west, is a timber frame structure built from locally salvaged, hand-hewn elements, recalling the traditional building craft of the area. The first-floor program includes a north entry porch, foyer/gallery space, mudroom, great room with wood burning fireplace, dining room, kitchen, pantry, powder room, and primary bedroom suite. The second floor includes a guest bedroom suite and sitting room. All south-facing openings are large sliding doors with screens that open to a stone terrace that connect the interior spaces to the landscape.
The lower-level walk-out space includes an entertainment space, guest suite, and exercise room that opens to a lower outdoor courtyard.
The auxiliary building’s program is a four-car garage and woodshop on the ground floor with office suite above. A south balcony porch inset into the office space overlooks the estate.
GUEST HOUSE
PROJECT NAME:
GUEST HOUSE
ARCHITECTURAL AND INTERIOR DESIGN:
Craig Bassam, BassamFellows
PHOTOGRAPHER:
MICHAEL BIONDO
GALLATIN RESIDENCE
RYE WATERSIDE
GREENWICH HARBOR HOUSE
This project is the realization of AMA’s long-held architectural goal of designing healthy and sustainable homes. In early discussions with our client, a couple who had spent their careers in healthcare, we settled on the following spatial organization for the new home: 1) an upper level living space perched over the sloping site with views of the harbor and the Long Island Sound beyond, and 2) a two-story interior space suited for nurturing a growing tree. This atrium at the core of the house would serve as a “living” environment for reflection and recuperation and would be experienced throughout the two levels of the house both visually and acoustically with the accompanying sound of the atrium’s fountain.
While the building form is bold, the interior spaces are quiet, multi-functional, and edited. The home is compact, consumes little energy and requires minimal ongoing maintenance given the application of durable, weather-resistant materials. The exterior wall assembly is rigorously detailed for ultimate thermal performance made possible with four inches of exterior insulation along with triple-glazed windows and doors. An array of rooftop photovoltaics combined with heat pumps contribute to near zero-carbon emissions. The durable and sustainable cladding products are panelized with open joints that meticulously weave around the exterior of the house. A deep roof overhang and balcony wrap the east and south facades and provide solar shading. Additionally, the large windows are covered with aluminum louvers that diffuse direct sunlight and provide textural interest on both the outside and inside.
Every inch of the compact sloping site is put to use. The dimensions of the atrium space spill out into the landscape, designed by JDDA, with an outdoor pergola and forecourt animated with organic and curvilinear shapes of a Zen-garden, including raked shells, a topiary tree and rock formations. The covered entry walkway is lined with vine-growing louvers continuing the integration of plant material throughout and around the house. The house is sited high above the road and recessed into the hill with a stone base. Stairs crisscross the slope leading up to the outdoor living spaces and the raised gardens.
PHOTOGRAPHER:
FOUR POINTS HOUSE
The primary driver of this house’s design was the four distinct views it frames: a long mountain view to the west, a meadow view to the south, a farm view to the north, and a forest view to the east. With its U-shaped plan, the house forms three walls of a courtyard with the tree-line of the forest forming the fourth. The exterior is clad in cedar processed in the Shou Sugi Ban method, which chars the wood to protect against fire and the elements and results in a rich black color and scaly texture. Inside, the exposed framing is made of mass timber. The primary suite occupies the south volume of the house, with a long wing of social, entertaining, and dining spaces between it and the guest suite to the north.
To right-size the house for the couple, the four bedroom guest suite is physically separated from the rest of the spaces and acts as a standalone building. Though connected to the primary residence by the roof (and forming the south wall of the courtyard), the suite has its own entrance and can only be accessed by leaving the main wing. This allows for different scales of inhabitation and energy use: the couple can open the guest suite when hosting or take it offline when they are not.
MODERN FARMHOUSE
