In returning to their hometown to raise a family, our clients sought to create a new modern home that would be an inviting and spacious gathering place for extended family.  Room to spread, indoors and out, was a requirement.  The couple purchased a three-acre lot adjacent to a golf course, with established trees, long views, and adequate privacy.

We oriented and designed the house to take the best advantage of the southern exposure while creating a strong indoor-outdoor connection.  Additionally, we needed to accommodate the slope of the lot with terraced elements and maintain open views towards the golf course.  Two existing specimen trees on the site were preserved.  We allowed these to play a role in the design, impacting siting and layout.

To break down the scale of the home, the massing is broken into discrete volumes.  The shingle-clad gables are contrasted with a central glass cube.  This natural gathering point hosts the entry and living room.  From here, all other program spreads out, both on the interior and exterior.  Long views from this space move and direct occupants through this cube and back to it.

The organization of program elements stems off from this central space.  Kitchen and dining occupy adjacencies on the first floor, along with guest quarters on the opposite side.  Flowing outdoors is a covered dining space.  Terracing down is a pool and sport court, on axis with the central cube.  Upstairs, the two gabled forms are connected by a bridge through the double-height living room below.  These two volumes provide separate privacy, with the parent’s suite on one side, and kids’ bedrooms on the other.  Below the living room is a well-lit basement, loosely programmed for flexibility.  Large light wells provide ample daylight as well as desirable cross breezes.

A balance was struck between demanding program requirements and key sustainability metrics.  Louvered sunshades project from the expanses of glazing to cut cooling costs in the summer months.  Windows are set back in the gabled forms for the same reason.  Natural daylighting is ample throughout the project, with communal rooms taking precedent of location on the southern side of the home.  The cost and environmental impact of conditioning nearly 8,500 sf of floor space are offset by extensive ground-source heat pumps.  Additionally, materials were chosen for long life with minimal maintenance required, ensuring the family’s long enjoyment of their new home.

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