The Croton-On-Hudson Estate is located in a 22-acre family compound which is integrated into a forested hillside with panoramic southwesterly views over the Hudson River in Croton-On-Hudson, New York. The owners - two brothers and their wives, who are artists and collectors - retained Rene Robert Mueller Architect/Planner in August 2000 to design a major project consisting of an Atelier (studio), Engineerum (privat museum), Retreat (which won an AIA Honor Award in 2009), and a major renovation of the Main Residence. The assignment to plan and construct these indivitual projects on the compound lasted 9 years and was successfully completed at the end of 2009.
The Retreat is located slightly below and to the side of the Main Residence and is completely integrated into the forest. The owner's goal was to build a weekend escape cottage there for himself and his wife, who reside in Manhattan. The Retreat is a 1,900 sq.ft. "jewel box", nestled among trees and boulders and built on the site where the antique steam engines were stored for many years awaiting restoration and exhibition in the Engineerum.
Rene Robert Mueller observed the owner's request to orient the Retreat to capture views of certain old-growth trees and topographical features in order to link past and present, and to incorporate a high proportion of outdoor living space. The owners enjoy complete privacy but also have easy access to the private engineering museum, artist's atelier and other facilities in this compound.
The design phase and construction phase each lasted 18 months. The design process was a very detailed one, involving:
1. Building site models (1/8" scale) in order to establish the proper orientation of the Retreat to accommodate existing features and views.
2. Building a 1/4" scale model with interior views showing the flow of floor layouts.
3. Building numerous detail models (for example, of the unusual fusion of the kitchen and stairway space)
4. Demonstrating proposed material applications using virtual exterior presentations.
5. Hand-drafting 25 sheets of construction documents.
The Retreat incorporates a variety of environmental and cost-saving features. For example, it utilizes a complete geothermal heating system fed from the Main Residence on the compound and AAC masonry for the core structure, which have resulted in an average monthly energy cost of just $65.
Key team members on this award-winning project included General Contractor Jim Connolly of J.T. Connolly Associates of Montrose; Site Work Sub-contractor Steve Connolly Construction of Peekskill; Masonry Sub-contractor Tri-State AAC of Ossining; and Framing, Exterior and Interior Trim Sub-contractor Van der Koos Construction of Mount Kisco. They all executed their tasks with exeptional skill and professionalism.