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Dean Brenneman's Blog

An Architect at Home
Tags >> House on a Hill

Engaging the Landscape

Posted by: Dean Brenneman on Jan 19, 2009

Our client - a single female professional - purchased an old rambler on a hillside lot overlooking the Potomac River; but the house practically ignored the landscape. It made no attempt to take advantage of the extraordinary site - in fact this house could have been in a subdivision just about anywhere.

In expanding and re-considering the design of this home, we took the opportunity to create a cottage that reaches out into the landscape and enfolds the homeowner in nature. Ample windows and/or doors on at least two sides of each room provide panoramic views at every turn, while the mass of the house is broken-down into smaller components, ensuring that the house is "of" the hill rather than on it. It is a magical thing to float above the azaleas, among the trees.

Before & After: