Frank Harmon Architect PA Strickland-Ferris Residence
Description
STRICKLAND - FERRIS RESIDENCE Raleigh, North Carolina 2005 Frank Harmon, Sarah Queen The house was designed primarily for one person who had three specific requirements: (1) she wanted “something dramatic;” (2) She wanted to feel “as if I’m living in the trees;” and (3) she wanted the house to be utterly devoid of unnecessary o amentation to the point that she could see the marks of construction, from exposed bolts to the “unfinished” ceiling structure. The site is a steep, north-facing escarpment 80 feet above Crabtree Creek, shaded by a then-150-year-old beech and oak forest. The creek has carved this escarpment for millions of years, which immediately suggested a site of great ecological sensitivity. We knew we had to build upon it carefully. To give the owner a shelter that treads lightly on the sensitive site, we perched the house on nine, broad-shouldered wood trusses without cutting a single major tree. The trusses permit air and water to flow under the house, preserving the hydrology of the escarpment. We created a very large, butterfly-shaped roof to open views northwards to the creek and to funnel rainwater into a collection system on the south side. The entrance to the house is a progression from the top of the hill, across a bridge, and into a balcony foyer, at which point the drama of the scenery outside fills the interior through two-story, floor-to-ceiling, north-facing glass walls. From the balcony, a graceful steel staircase with wooden treads descends past the glass (in essence, through the trees) to the dramatic, two-story-clear main living floor, which, in tu , opens onto a sunny and partially secluded south-facing terrace below the bridge.
Details
E Peace, NC
Year: 2005
Architect
Description
STRICKLAND - FERRIS RESIDENCE Raleigh, North Carolina 2005 Frank Harmon, Sarah Queen The house was designed primarily for one person who had three specific requirements: (1) she wanted “something dramatic;” (2) She wanted to feel “as if I’m living in the trees;” and (3) she wanted the house to be utterly devoid of unnecessary o amentation to the point that she could see the marks of construction, from exposed bolts to the “unfinished” ceiling structure. The site is a steep, north-facing escarpment 80 feet above Crabtree Creek, shaded by a then-150-year-old beech and oak forest. The creek has carved this escarpment for millions of years, which immediately suggested a site of great ecological sensitivity. We knew we had to build upon it carefully. To give the owner a shelter that treads lightly on the sensitive site, we perched the house on nine, broad-shouldered wood trusses without cutting a single major tree. The trusses permit air and water to flow under the house, preserving the hydrology of the escarpment. We created a very large, butterfly-shaped roof to open views northwards to the creek and to funnel rainwater into a collection system on the south side. The entrance to the house is a progression from the top of the hill, across a bridge, and into a balcony foyer, at which point the drama of the scenery outside fills the interior through two-story, floor-to-ceiling, north-facing glass walls. From the balcony, a graceful steel staircase with wooden treads descends past the glass (in essence, through the trees) to the dramatic, two-story-clear main living floor, which, in tu , opens onto a sunny and partially secluded south-facing terrace below the bridge.
Details
E Peace, NC
Year: 2005
