House in Austerlitz
Austerlitz, NY, USA
2011

House in Austerlitz, a 4000 square foot single-family home is located on a 74 acre site in upstate New York.  The intersecting two main volumes of the house are situated to maximize panoramic views of the surrounding Hudson Valley landscape and Catskill Mountains while simultaneously providing diverse exterior spaces that are protected from the natural elements.  The lower public volume opens up to the forest beyond with a floor-to-ceiling wall of glazing.  The kitchen, dining and living rooms flow seamlessly within an open plan on the lower level.  The upper, private volume cantilevers over the lower volume, providing shade for an exterior play area below and pulls back towards the south to create an expansive private deck above.  The spaces within the house continue out to the various exterior spaces, creating a strong continuity between inside and outside. The house is clad in a charred cedar, a traditional Japanese cladding material that is highly durable.

Credits:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Sonya Lee
Structural: Rodney D. Gibble Consulting Engineers
MEP: Engineering Solutions PLLC
Civil: Crawford & Associates
Septic: Hudson River Valley Engineers
Landscape: Quennell Rothschild & Partners
Lighting: Tillett Lighting Design
Pool: Aquatic Designs, Inc.
AV / IT: Tune Street
Security: Alarms of Berkshire

Photographs © Iwan Baan, Michael Biondo