Horizontal Branching House

On a 90-acre landscape preservation reserve near the town of Claverack in New York’s Hudson Valley, surrounded by expanses of farmland and wooded hills rising 700 feet, two rural retreat houses are proposed. One is a vertical branching house inspired by the towering pine trees beside the lakeside. The other, situated on a steep hill, is a horizontal branching house suspended between the trees.

On first encountering the site, the giant, very old pine trees with their enormous groups of trunks branching vertically created a mesmerizing view through to the lake, becoming the departure point for the entire geometry. Three brachiating, thick wooden forms, leaning slightly away from each other, define a plan of volumes that shifts vertically.

The horizontal branching house, at 980 square feet, is elevated nine feet in the air on a few thin, vertical steel elements, allowing complete exposure of the underside as it nestles into the crevice of a rock outcropping. One of the exciting aspects of modern architecture is how you can move under it as well as around it. This design incorporates a “fifth elevation” on the underside. Each segment of the branching form focuses on views into the landscape, with the living branch aligned with the lake view. The leaning hexagonal branch defines the arrival experience, while another branch looks out down at the lake in the south distance. At its core, the utilities of the bathrooms are sheathed in sandblasted glass with a skylight above, giving the heart of the building a glowing presence—luminescence rather than solidity. The wood/steel construction with interior wood walls is clad in “cartridge brass,” which weathers to a patina green.

Within the broader bounds of the Hudson River estuary watershed, both houses will be constructed by local craftsmen. Geothermal heating and cooling, natural lighting, and cross-ventilation minimize energy use. Responsibly sourced materials are prioritized. Over time, these materials will patina naturally, embracing the principles of “Wabi-Sabi.”

While the vertical branching house rises from the ground looking at the lake through the big thick branching trees, the horizontal branching house hovers above in a rock crevice. All of the site’s landscape will be preserved instead of a parcel subdivision (which is typical in that area). Therefore, the entire project becomes an ecological manifesto: maintaining natural flora and fauna for the future while offering wooden retreats nestled carefully into the existing tree-filled Hudson Valley landscape.