PROJECT A Virginia Farm House
LOCATION Confidential, Virginia US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 1/15/2017
ARCHITECT Muse Architects
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT/DESIGNER
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Stephen Muse, FAIA, Principal; Kuk-Ja Kim, AIA, LEED® AP, Senior Associate
OWNER/CLIENT
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Ace Contracting, Inc. / Geoff Pitts
PHOTOGRAPHER Erik Kvalsvik
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Grounded, LLC / Anna Boeschenstein PLA, ASLA
CIVIL ENGINEER
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
PROGRAM
This project is a renovation of and addition to an existing farm house, and new Guest Cottage, Garage and Pool. The existing house is located on a 40 acre farm near Charlottesville, Virginia, with views of surrounding mountains.
This property belongs to a family who has visited the house on weekends and summers for many years. They desired a home that would provide space for all three generations to visit. It was essential to have a private space for an elderly parent that allowed one story living.
Programmatic requirements for the existing farm house included a new kitchen, mudroom and rear porch on the first floor, and a new second floor master bedroom suite.
The Guest Cottage was designed, with the elderly parent in mind, for accessibility, one story living and to be separated from the main house. The Cottage consists of a living room, two bedrooms and a kitchenette.
SOLUTION
On this rural site, we organized the structures to create defined exterior spaces, as well as interior spaces. The new and renovated buildings were arranged to open themselves toward the surrounding mountains. Large windows, porches and terraces are used to frame the views.
The garage is placed opposite the main house to form a parking court. From the parking court a stone path creates an axis, connecting the rear entry of the main house and entry of the cottage. The front entry of the Guest Cottage is set behind the garage, making its location private and hidden from the entry drive, while maintaining a visual connection to the main house. Here the scale of exterior space is reduced, in contrast to the open vistas of the site, welcoming you into the intimate interior of the cottage. A pool and pavilion are set to the side of the Cottage, maintaining unobstructed views of the mountains from the cottage.
Stained cedar siding and a metal gable roof were used, drawing inspiration from the existing farm house and local vernacular materials.
JURY COMMENTS (If Applicable)
A very thoughtful and skillfully designed project. The respect for the original farmhouse shows with a careful sympathetic addition, the guest house finds its own voice, yet stays in the family. The siting, in the open, finds an urban sensibility amongst the collection of figures that binds experience in a kind of ensemble.
Aside from the superb material and massing choices, the exterior interconnection of the new buildings to the existing creates spaces that are nearly urban in nature—spaces that we want to experience.
A wonderful addition and transformation project. The project is successful at multiple levels, beginning with the site planning. Each axis is well considered, the spaces between the buildings are as thoughtfully composed as the buildings themselves.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project/Jury PDF
IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Farm House. ©Erik Kvalsvik
2. Farm House, Guest Cottage and Pool Pavilion. ©Erik Kvalsvik
3. Kitchen. ©Erik Kvalsvik
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A Virginia Farm House
Category
Local > AIA Potomac Valley > Residential Architecture (AIA Potomac Valley)
Winner Status
- Honor Award
Share