CCY Architects nestles Aspen home into mountainous hillside

CCY Architects designed this home in the mountains of Colorado to be built largely below grade, to reduce its impact on the surrounding natural landscape.

Meadow House takes its name from its location within a grassy plot of land in Aspen, Colorado. It was commissioned by a family that wanted a full-time residence but wanted to avoid spoiling the views of the surrounding Rocky Mountains.

Meadow House is designed to blend into its surrounding landscape

"It was important that they have a base for sharing the natural and cultural amenities of the area with their numerous guests in an unpretentious atmosphere," said CCY Architects, a firm based in the nearby town of Basalt.

"[The clients] also challenged us to make the house appear as small as possible," they added.

Upon arrival, the home appears from behind native grasses

From the initial approach to the 14,000-square-foot (1,300-square-metre) home, only a small volume clad in black wooden siding is visible. This is an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, which contains a guest bedroom, living room, and kitchenette in which guests can enjoy some privacy while staying at the home.

Although it appears that this structure sits on solid ground, it is actually perched on a green roof, beneath which is the residents' wing, containing the garage, primary bedroom, a home office, and a walk-in closet.

CCY Architects chose furnishings and finishes in a monochrome palette

"On approach, this small structure set in native grasses is all that's visible, and only fully reveals itself as part of a larger composition upon entering the auto court," explained the architects.

A glazed passage connects this part of the home to the main communal areas, which enjoy sweeping views of the surrounding mountains through full-height openings made of black metal frames.

Large windows connect the house to mountainous views

Between the owners' wing and the main living areas, an exterior living room with its own fireplace offers an opportunity to take in the outdoors in the warmer months.

The architects chose furnishings and finishes in a monochrome palette, while tall wood ceilings bring some colour into the space.

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The rest of the home's bedrooms are on the lowest floor, closest to the stream below. "Analysing the site profile, we discovered that a large part of the program could be inserted under the meadow and capture the tranquil sound of the river below, even though it isn’t visible," said CCY Architects.

"The quality of the sound – and the fact that it is heard all night – helped the clients embrace locating the five guest bedrooms primarily subgrade," they added.

An exterior living room has its own fireplace

The lower floor also contains a range of amenities for the owners and their guests, including a billiards table, home cinema, and bowling alley.

Even though these spaces are partially built below grade, they open out onto an outdoor terrace via sliding glass doors, providing them with ample natural light.

Meadow House takes its name from its location within a grassy plot of land

Concrete panels wrap the volumes that are nestled into the site, while black, vertical boards are used for the above-ground portions of the building, such as the kitchen, living and dining room.

CCY Architects has completed several residences in Aspen, including an addition to a Victorian home with a perforated metal facade and a vacation home on a sloped site.

The photography is byJeremy Bittermann.

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Ciguë uses steel foundations to elevate lightweight home in rural France

French studio Ciguë has elevated this timber-clad home in Saint Julien le Petit, France, above its rural site using slender, removable steel foundations.

Looking to contrast the area's traditional stone country homes, the Paris-based studio drew on the lightweight Case Study Houses built in California in the 1960s to create a simple structure that sits lightly in its surroundings.

The Wooden House is a residential project in rural France designed by Ciguë

"The Wooden House scrupulously chooses its land, its exposure, its height and its references to revisit the archetype of the country house," said the studio.

"[It is] a place in which you live carefree and unconfined, in direct contact with the landscape, surrounded by bare necessities," it continued.

The structure is clad in blackened timber

The almost-square central form of the home, clad in black timber planks, sits atop an area of raised wooden decking. The deck wraps the southern edge to create a variety of seating areas surrounded by a black timber balustrade.

A roof has a large overhang and is supported by thin steel supports. It shelters a south-facing section of full-height glazing, which provides the L-shaped living, dining and kitchen area with dramatic views across the landscape.

A covered terrace wraps around the structure

Two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study space create a more private L-shaped section of the home, which north and east with small windows framing views.

A stepped roof line creates higher ceilings at the front of the home, while the bedrooms at the rear are slightly more intimate-feeling spaces.

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In the study, a small mezzanine level sits atop a wooden frame accessed by a ladder, leading to an elevated space with a small window.

"Benefiting from large window openings, [the home] is flooded with light and lives to the rhythm of the seasons according to its bioclimatic principles," said the studio.

Large full-height windows frame views out to the landscape

Internally, the walls and ceilings have been given a crisp white finish. Simple furnishings, window frames and fittings were made using wood sourced from the local area.

Much of the framework and structure is left exposed, with a grid of black timber battens supporting corrugated plastic forming the roof. The junctions between the foundations and house are also left visible.

Ciguë applied a simplistic material palette througout the interior

"Floating lightly above its field, the house imprints its unique Neo-vernacular spirit on the landscape, having chosen wood from the surrounding forests that have gradually replaced the regions agricultural land," said the studio.

Previous projects by Ciguë include several retail interiors including a store in Nottingham for skincare brand Aesop organised around distillation apparatus and a store in Bangkok for fashion brand Isabel Marant with woven bamboo screens.

The photography is byMaris Mezulis.

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A+I and Unionworks raise Bridge House to protect sensitive Hamptons environment

New York studios A+I and Unionworks have completed a house near Long Island's Sagaponack Pond with two volumes connected by an enclosed bridge, allowing the site's native shrubbery to grow beneath.

Bridge House is the first ground-up residential project by A+I, or Architecture+Information, which typically works on office interiors.

The studio collaborated with Unionworks on the expansive private home, located near the Hamptons town of Bridgehampton and totals 12,000 square feet (111 square metres)

A+I and Unionworks designed Bridge House in Long Island

Responding to the property's fragile ecosystem, the architects decided to partially raise the house to safeguard against flooding and minimise the impact on the land.

"Because the lowest of the three volumes is elevated 12 feet (3.7 metres) above the ground plain, evoking a bridge, the home seems to float above a bio-swale with native grasses, shrubs and wildflowers created by LaGuardia Design," said the team.

The "bridge" connects two grounded volumes

"This strategic landscaping allows water during major storms and coastal flooding to pass underneath the structure without harm," they added

Each end of the "bridge" is supported by a grounded volume that contains part of the home's communal areas. The two ground structures are parallel, intersected by the bridge, bringing the total of connected volumes to three.

The volumes have plentiful terraces

These buildings were constructed with slender grey bricks and clad in vertical wooden siding, a choice that the architects describe as "a significant departure from the typical Hamptons shingle style".

"[The property] needed to be unlike any other Hamptons home," said the architects.

Exposed brick and light wood was placed throughout the interior

On the ground floor, the exterior finishes alternate between the exposed grey bricks and floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open, extending the living space into the home's multiple terraces.

"Dark-stained, quarter-sawn wood wraps the facade, lending dimension and character," said the architects.

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The bridge extends over the grounded volumes and becomes the top floor, cantilevering where it meets the grounded volume on the north side.

Stained wooden planks also clad its elevations and underside, which shelters a walkway between the two ends of the building.

The bridge contains five bedrooms

The home's interior palette includes accents like bronze kitchen cabinets, which are intended to develop a patina over time.

White oak-paneled walls offers plenty of storage space, and a dramatic, suspended staircase creates a screening effect with the spacing of its slender metal supports.

The bridge serves as the top floor

The bridge structure contains five bedrooms, including the primary suite at one end, which opens out to a rooftop terrace. Downstairs, there are four additional bedrooms in one of the wings.

The Hamptons has long served as an escape from New York City, and this stretch of Long Island's southern shore is home to many impressive properties. Others to recently complete include Worrell Yeung's renovation of a 1970s house designed by Charles Gwathmey and a stone-clad residence with a pyramidal roof by Neil Logan.

The photography is byMagda Biernat.

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Strand Design creates Lake Placid A-Frame in northern Wisconsin

American firm Strand Design has created a pointy cabin wrapped in metal and wood that is intended to blend with its forested, lakefront site in Wisconsin.

The project, called Lake Placid A-Frame, is owned by a couple from Minneapolis who love outdoor activities and wanted a year-round retreat.

The distinctive cabin sits on a wooded shoreline along Lake Placid in Hayward, Wisconsin. The owners have friends with properties in the area.

Strand Design has completed an A-framed cabin in New York

The goal for the architects – Minneapolis-based Strand Design – was to create a modest-sized cabin that embraces the natural landscape.

"The footprint of the cabin was sited specifically to a lower elevation on the rolling property in order to minimise its visual impact and to feel more fully integrated with the surrounding woods," the architects said.

The team conceived a 2,075-square-foot (193-square-metre) dwelling composed of an A-shaped volume with boxes protruding from its sides. The property also has a separate building that houses a garage and workshop.

The A-shaped cabin is wrapped in wood and metal

"Classic meets modern in this refreshing take on the vernacular Northwoods A-frame cabin," the team said.

Framed with glue-laminated timber, the home is clad in a mix of materials.

The studio wanted the cabin to blend into its lakeside surroundings

For the long sides of the A, the team used standing-seam bonderised steel in a light grey tone. Other walls are wrapped in corrugated steel panels and wooden lap siding, both coloured black.

The front door is set within an alcove covered in warm-toned timber.

An open-plan kitchen and dining area is located on the ground floor

"Utilising a variety of steel panels, darkened clapboard and hints of bright natural cedar, this cabin blends seamlessly into its forested lakefront surroundings," the architects said.

Inside, the home feels both airy and cosy.

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In the A-framed portion, the ground floor encompasses an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room, along with a mudroom and mechanical space. The kitchen extends into a small box that protrudes beyond the triangular volume.

A Douglas fir staircase leads to a loft, where a bedroom and powder room are located.

Other materials inside include polished concrete

In an adjoining box at ground level, the team placed another bedroom, a large closet and a bathroom. Up above is a rooftop terrace.

Interior finishes include yellow pine and polished concrete. In the kitchen, cabinets are made with beech and topped with granite. Much of the home's wooden decor was made by the client, who has a passion for woodworking.

Exposed beams were left visible and span the full height of the A-shaped building.

Warm-toned timber is used throughout the interior

Large windows and glazed doors enable the occupants to take in the ever-changing scenery. Outside, a pathway leads down to a fire pit and metal dock, where the owners can set off in their canoe.

Other A-framed buildings in North America include a 1960s dwelling in New Jersey that was converted into a cosy rentable cabin by designers Chad and Courtney Ludeman and a Quebec cottage by Jean Verville that has an all-black exterior and light-toned interior.

The photography is byChad Holder Photography.

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Project credits:

Architect: Strand Design

Design team: David McKay, David Strand

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