Inspired by both agricultural buildings in the area as well as a hundred years of the site as orchard and farm, the Orchard house utilizes simple forms, materials and minimal details to create a weekend retreat and reprieve for the owners and their family. A meandering drive through meadow fields leads to a semi-public entry garden where cars are kept at a distance and the structure offers only glimpses of life within; visible through a louvered sunscreen wall and the strategically placed punctures that frame precise views of the gardens and distant farm fields. Two distinct volumes, each clad with a charcoal stained, wood rain screen siding with open joints, are reminiscent of the former barn structures. The back of the house unfolds with walls of sliding glass panels creating an open-air pavilion, blurring the distinction between inside and out, allowing light and air to permeate. The landscape was considered at every step of the design, resulting in a site where the structures, meadow, lawns, vegetable gardens and orchard all coexist in a harmonious dialogue, drawing one through as a story might unfold. Treading lightly on the site as well as the structure’s overall global footprint, was important to both architect and owner. This was achieved through the use of geo-thermal heating and cooling, radiant heating, a hybrid insulation package consisting of continuous rigid, batt and spray foam, a robust solar panel array, planted roofs, carefully selected materials and finishes and a strategically placed sun screen on the south which limits summer heat while allowing the winter sun.
