Adirondack House

New York

 
In the spirit of the Adirondack Great Camps, this lakeside lodge steps down a steep slope at the edge of a mountain lake in upstate New York. Composed of three buildings ( residence, garage, and boathouse ) the vacation home adopts the language of the alpine tradition. The architecture finds its expression in an interplay between the natural and the man-made.

On approach, roof planes and stone chimneys are visible through pine and hemlock. The slightly angled main entrance on the upper level inflects toward the visitor and is marked by a gable of over-scaled logs. The entry leads through a forest of cedar columns toward a massive granite fireplace that rises through the structure and dominates the central living spaces.

Light from high clerestory windows streams down into the upper level. Cedar tree columns, red pine bark siding, and rustic stick-work engage in a dialogue with the natural world. The house becomes analogous to the forest, a stone base rises out of the hillside with tree columns reaching up to soft reflections of the sky on its lead-coated copper roof.

Awards

1994 Tucker Award for Design Excellence
Building Stone Institute
1993 Excellence in Design Award
AIA New York
1992 Grand Award
Western Red Cedar Lumber Association/AIA Design Awards Program
1992 Honor Award
Pennsylvania Society of Architects
1991 Design Award
American Wood Council
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