Forest House in United States
FOREST HOUSE
Kube Architecture
CATEGORY
Houses
YEAR
2009
PHOTOGRAPHS
Paul Burk
LOCATION
Great Falls, United States
ARCHITECTS
Kube Architecture
Text description provided by architect.
A "tower in the forest" this house sits on a 3-acre wooded site in Great Falls, Virginia. Although the tower is a separate structure from the existing house on the site, they are connected by a 2-story link.
The overall design concept was to create a "house as frame" for the landscape. As one ascends higher and higher in the tower, framed views of the surrounding forest are revealed in each direction through large window openings.
The program consists of a playroom and bedroom suite on the lower level, master bedroom suite on the first floor, media room above, and office on the top floor.
The media room and office are open to each other through a two-story space, and a large bookcase running along the staircase connects each space vertically.
While the new tower is unique and different architecturally from the existing house, the two are connected by a plinth on the ground level, which sets up a continuous rhythm from one building to the next. However, on the floors above, the tower departs from the main house completely, establishing its own place in the landscape.
