Our clients set out to create a place that would become a multi-generational family estate. They were drawn to the river, choosing a six-acre site bordered by the banks of the braided waterway and federally protected land. This parcel is directly adjacent to the river and in a flood-prone landscape. A series of dikes had been built up over time creating a visual and special barrier between the site and the river.

This four-bedroom estate needed to effortlessly fit into the undulating land and be a culmination of the overall site. To provide the river views our clients wanted, we conceived a landscape strategy that regraded the site, subtly creating a gentle topographic lift using soil from the excavation of nearby ponds, while enhancing the area’s drainage.

Nestled on this new, carefully built grade, the design program is configured in a series of distinct clusters, each linked by a corridor. At the center of the house is a primary bedroom suite, radiating from which is an array of three additional bedrooms and a shared area for living and dining. A home office and a garage connect to the living/dining area. Several indoor/outdoor spaces allow the family and guests to connect directly with nature.

We designed the home’s interior architecture in a way that corresponds with the exterior while creating a sense of elegant refinement. Materials, for example, connect from outside to inside, but different finishes speak to surrounding context.

Locally sourced limestone provides a base to the structure while floor-to-ceiling glass provides a sense of contrasting lightness. Designed for Climate Zone 7 the house includes high-performance triple-pane glass, super-insulated envelope, photovoltaic arrays, and an open-loop heat pump exchange that conditions the home using the river’s hydrology. Strategically sited, the property preserves and enhances wildlife habitats, wetlands, and existing vegetation.