Dutchess County Residence Guest House

Stanfordville, NY, USA

Photo © Dean Kaufman

Drawing © Brad Cloepfil

Visualization © Allied Works

Photo © Jeremy Bittermann

Photo © Helene Binet

Photo © Jeremy Bittermann

Photo © Helene Binet

Photo © Jeremy Bittermann

Architects: Allied Works

Year: 2008

Allied Works was commissioned to design a residence, guesthouse and private gallery on 350 acres in Dutchess County, New York. Located on the eastern slopes of the Hudson River Valley, the site consists of rolling hills, open meadow and dense hardwood forest. Each of the three buildings responds to a particular landscape. The guest house was the first of these to be completed.

Balanced above a bend in Ryder Creek, the guest house is located in a mature deciduous forest of oak, hickory, and birch. The two-bedroom, 1300sf house is held within a continuous structural frame of eight-inch steel that weaves through the site, blurring the boundaries between forest and house. Enclosures and terraces are formed by panels of wood and glass that slip between, over, and through the frame as it meanders among the trees. The house is reached by a path through the woods from the Main House meadow. Each room of the house looks to a different region of the site, emphasizing closeness and connection to the landscape.

The house is a place of silence, reflection and intimacy. In summer, it is animated by birdsong and immersed in dappled light. In winter, the house sits exposed in field of black tree trunks against a floor of white snow.