Alleghany County House

Alleghany County House

This project includes two related houses designed for a large family on a North Carolina mountain estate. Our work began with a careful study of a 40+ acre mountaintop property, resulting in a site selection that balanced views, solar gain, and protection from prevailing winds. Viewed at large, the initial challenge of the project was in situating the houses relative to one another. The houses were designed for two different generations of the same family, one with younger kids and the other in retirement. As such, it was important to locate the houses in a way that allowed for connectedness and shared amenities while taking into account each family’s need for privacy and autonomy. We achieved this balance by pulling the two houses apart and bridging between them with a modern glazed structure, the roof of which extends to cover a shared exterior gathering area.

The curtainwall of glass and the large multi-slide door opening onto the views on the north side of the building begin to dematerialize the walls, blurring the distinction between interior and exterior spaces and making the landscape central to the experience of the house. As a gesture toward the natural surroundings, we commissioned Brooklyn furniture maker Mattias Pliessnig to create a wooden sculpture to hang in the double-height space of the rear entry of the house. Lastly, the forms are oriented in a way that promotes porosity rather than obstruction, allowing views through the site to the landscape beyond.