PROJECT ÄLVHEM
LOCATION Centreville, Maryland, US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 7/3/2014
ARCHITECT Torchio Architects, Inc.
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT
OWNER/CLIENT Robert Dahl
CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Torchio Architects, Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHER Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios, Inc.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Greg Torchio, AIA, Principal, Chris Jackson, Intern Architect
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
“Alvhem” means River Home in Swedish and reflects the owner’s family heritage. The house is located on a partially wooded bluff that overlooks the Corsica River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and is intended as a weekend retreat. The owner had a pretty clear vision: the house should feel like a “modern Swedish farmhouse”, it should have a single slope roof with the high side being mostly glass and facing the river and the river view should be visible from all of the major living spaces. The house is approximately 4500 square feet of finished area plus a three-car garage, screened porch and utility areas. In addition to the owner providing the vision of the basic shape of the house in section, he also had an idea of a stone “moat” that would surround the house and separate it from the more naturalistic site. The plan is an “L” shape with the garage being one leg of the “L” and the house being the other. The garage and parking court are separated from the house be the stone moat. The connection from the garage and parking court to the main part of the house is across two bridges, one which is enclosed as an office and the other that is open and leads to the main entry. All the storm water that falls on the house is collected either in the pervious pavers of the parking court or the collection system in the stone moat, and directed to a drywell. Located on the main floor is the two story high great room, a guest bedroom with bath, master bedroom suite, laundry & mudroom, office and powder room. The upper level has another guest bedroom with bath and a guest suite. On the lower level is a media room, powder room, and mechanical and storage areas. The notion of the modern Swedish farm house inspired the use of a modern timber frame which is made up of southern pine glue laminated timbers and galvanized tension rods and bolts. The structural bay is 12’ wide and is used as an organizing design element. All of the ceilings are also knotty southern pine. The heavy wood frame is contrasted with the wall of glass that frames the view of the river, the stainless steel cable railing around the balcony and stair and the highly polished concrete floors. Both sides of the main body of the house have a 4’ high clerestory of polycarbonate glazing that lets in diffused lighting to most of the living spaces. The contrast of natural and modern materials is also evident on the exterior. The pine beams and pine soffit overhang four feet beyond the exterior walls. The main door and the screened porch framing are also pine. This contrasts with the grays and blacks of the zinc standing seam roofing, corrugated aluminum siding, fiber cement siding and sandblasted concrete block.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 Alvhem_high res ext.jpg, Riverside, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 2 Alvhem_high res ext 2.jpg, Roadside Day, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios, Inc.
IMAGE 3 Alvhem_high res int.jpg, Great Room, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 4 Alvhem_Roadside.jpg, Entry Approach, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 5 Alvhem_Entry Bridge.jpg, Entry Bridge, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 6 Alvhem_East.jpg, East View, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 7 Alvhem_int.jpg, Interior Detail, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios Inc.
IMAGE 8 Alvhem_Office Bridge.jpg, Office Bridge, Steve Buchanan, Buchanan Studios
ÄLVHEM
Category
State > AIA Maryland > Residential Architecture (Single & Multi-Family) (AIA Maryland)
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