The River Hills Residence slides onto a thin shelf at the top of its property, adjacent to an uncleared copse of cedar and oak, and overlooking a steep 35’ drop in elevation. Amidst an unruly landscape of more than 75 trees of various native species, the building’s adherence to an orthogonal geometry acts as a datum against which the vicissitudes of the environment are measured, and its position organizes the property into distinct areas.
A corrugated, and at-times perforated, steel clad volume hovers above the landscape, cantilevered on both ends, and establishes the primary character of the home. Raw and refined finishes are paired throughout, with mill finished steel and concrete floors abutting abstract cabinetry, glazed brick and a 25’ long kitchen island counter. The building provides both a tangible material presence and an abstract ground against which the changing circumstances of nature are highlighted.