Sycamore House

Project Statement

This home embraces simplicity and nature with stacked geometric forms that harmonize with the surroundings. Designed for a family of four, it is strategically situated on an urban lot, optimizing its prospect over the site and its ability to open to nature while also achieving privacy and retreat.

A refined palette draws influences from the limestone bluffs found throughout the region. The home’s composition takes inspiration from Scandinavian and Japanese design principles, creating a healthy, inspiring living environment closely linked to nature. The plan is organized around a central courtyard, flanked by interlocking solid and glazed volumes, creating a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces, capturing breezes, and framing views.

The design integrates a 9-kW solar array on the high roof and a green roof over the lower wing, which harvests rainwater from all roofs and directs it to a 5,000-gallon cistern, where it is used for non-potable irrigation. The HVAC system is fully geothermal, exchanging heat through nine 300-foot-deep wells in the front yard. A high-performance envelope with foam insulation, low-e glazing, and exclusively LED lighting minimizes the home’s energy consumption. Radiant-heat flooring further enhances performance in the winter months. Locally sourced, VOC- and formaldehyde-free materials contribute to a healthy interior environment.

The interior palette complements the exterior materials with white oak flooring and walnut trim. Expansive sliding doors, abundant glazing, and an outdoor-focused axial arrangement reinforce focal points and the connection to nature. In essence, this home represents a blend of contextual response, restrained modernism, and environmental responsibility, resulting in an example of sustainable residential design.