Imagined by Workshop/APD, the Berkshires Mountain Retreat is nestled into the highlands of Western Massachusetts. The design of the residence features large open spaces that connect with the exterior through a mixture of operable and non-operable window walls that maximize the exposure to southern light and views of the surrounding countryside.
A unique feature of the house is its indoor/outdoor living room with retractable sliding glass walls on three sides. The roof of the outdoor space is designed to be purposefully thin and flat, drawing an obvious contrast to the massing of the majority of the house.
On the interior, rooms and corridors take advantage of the volume afforded by the gabled ceilings. Locally sourced wood is used to express elements of the structure as to provide comfort and warmth to the spaces.
Flitched steel plates are cleverly hidden within a wooden wrap to provide support to the feature staircase while allowing its material palette to blend in with the floor and wall finishes.
Heavy timber trusses with steel plate gussets create open-gable ceilings to accentuate the scale of living spaces within. The structure of the space is fully exposed to view and made possible because of the scale of the exterior glazing.
Cathedral spaces are created in the sports hall by using gabled steel portal frames hidden within the depth of the roof framing. The sports hall also features concrete planks set below the rubberized court surface used to dampen noise and vibration within the space while allowing for a column free basement space below.
PROJECT TEAM
Architect: Workshop/APD, General Contractor: Well-Kemp Enterprises, Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
