AWARDS
RED ROCK HOUSE
Located in a small Berkshires township on a densely wooded, 16-acre property, this site originally afforded no views and little sun penetration, its topography defined by a steep slope, a vertical rock ledge, and a creek prone to seasonal flooding. Early design strategy focused on preserving as much of the natural landscape as possible, while carving out terraces for buildings and gardens and opening the site to ways that landscape, views, and daylight could be integrated into the design.
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The project embraces a “machine in the garden” design approach, where contemporary vocabulary and minimalist form accentuate the relationship between built work and natural landscape.
PROJECT LOCATION
Red Rock, NY
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PROJECT SIZE
6,400 SF
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PROJECT TYPE
Residential, Single Family
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CLIENT
Private
A 200-foot long, board-formed concrete retaining wall runs along the site’s east edge, exposing new plateaus for buildings, garden, and meadow. Clinging to this wall, the guesthouse anchors the building assembly in the steep hillside, while the main house and deck project out from the landform into the treetops. A linear bluestone path connects guesthouse and main house and leads to the west balcony in the treetops, looking out over the creek below.
The home’s minimal materials palette evokes both precision and rusticity, reflecting the juxtaposed orders of architecture and landscape. Buildings are clad in a high performance rainscreen of knotty western red cedar. Milled with multiple profiles to generate a pattern that changes with the sun’s movement, the boards’ textured rhythm also accommodates openings, fenestration, and screens. Aluminum lattice volumes indicate primary entrance and shield interior spaces from southern exposure. Interiors are entirely white, emphasizing the play of light and both visual and experiential connections to the landscape.
PROJECT COLLABORATORS
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Reed Hilderbrand
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STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
RSE Associates, Inc.
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MEP
Allied Consulting Engineering Services, Inc.
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CIVIL ENGINEER
Morris Associates P.L.L.C.
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LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Lam Partners
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CONSTRUCTION
Lou Boxer Builder, Inc.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
Jane Messinger