RES4 Mountain Retreat

Photograph by Floto+Warner, Courtesy of Resolution: 4 Architecture.

Words from the Architect

Located on a five-acre rocky outcrop, The Mountain Retreat trades in overwhelming city skyscrapers and the scuttle of yellow cabs for sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains and hawks gliding over the thermals below. The client, who loves mountain biking and rock climbing, had camped out on the hilltop during the siting of the house to determine the best spot, angle and orientation for his new escape. The resulting artifact is a retreat carefully crafted into its unique surroundings. The Mountain Retreat amiably provides an efficient1,800 square foot indoor and outdoor living and entertaining experience.

Photograph by Floto+Warner, Courtesy of Resolution: 4 Architecture.

The finished house, sitting partially on concrete stilts, gives way to a striking display. Its angular lines, soaring height, and unique blend of warm cedar siding with cool gray concrete panels and glass are displayed to great advantage in the context of its rough mountaintop setting. The stilts act as supports for the great room above and, below, define the parking spaces for an uncluttered entry and carport. An enclosed staircase runs along the north side of the house. Sheathed inside and out in grey Cebonit, it leads from the ground floor entrance to the main living spaces, which exist peacefully as if situated upon the treetops. Requiring the insertion of pylons, a well, and a septic tank, the rocky terrain of the immediate site had to be blasted away. Rather than discarding the remnants, the rocks were scattered about in masses around the site. Used for outdoor seating and the entry pathway, the initiative further emphasizes the relation and integration of the house into the natural backdrop.

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