Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Architecture Wednesday: 4 Springs Lane

The house sits on a manicured patch of lawn between the rolling fields and lush woods of its 24 acre site in Rappahannock County, Virginia.

The architect investigated the site fully before building — even erecting scaffolding at various locations to check the views — which resulted in the placement of the house high on one of the hills, overlooking a meadow at the base of woodlands.  The house is organized as a series of volumes, arranged linearly and positioned to optimize distant views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The linear organization allows the majority of spaces to maintain mountain views while providing accessibility to a terrace with the swimming pool and the manicured area. The two-story living and dining space has floor-to-ceiling glass at each end for views to both meadow and mountain.

The geometric forms of the home are designed in sharp contrast to the natural landscape, the contrast intended to magnify the beauty of the site while allowing the house to provide a framework to view the landscape.

Interior spaces are active and intricate, tranquil and minimal. With vistas in all directions, large expanses of glass allow the landscape views to provide the primary sensory experience. A geothermal HVAC system, energy efficient appliances, wall and ceiling infrastructure with maximum insulation, a rain-screen cladding system, extensive daylighting and solar-sensored shades are employed with the expectation of reducing fossil fuel consumption.

It’s a green house, of a sort, sitting in a field of green.

3 comments:

  1. While I can appreciate the design and concepts, it's too modern for me. It would be like the Dowager Countess living there. But as usual, love all the woods used

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  2. reporting in ------
    "THIS JUST IN: Judge rules Richland florist violated state Consumer Protection Act by discriminating against same-sex couple
    OLYMPIA — A Benton County Superior Court ruling today held that a Richland florist violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by refusing to serve a same-sex couple seeking to buy wedding flowers in 2013.
    “The law is clear: If you choose to provide a service to couples of the opposite sex, you must provide the same service to same-sex couples,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “Washingtonians have enacted laws recognizing equality for same-sex couples, and I will continue to vigorously uphold these laws. I appreciate the judge’s decision and am very proud of my team’s hard work to stop this unlawful discrimination.”

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