Ephemeral Edge is a weekend retreat and retirement home located three hours north of New York City. The remarkable site lies at the convergence of two diverse conditions: a forested hillside and a constructed pond, both overlooking a panoramic vista in the distance.
The first impression of the constructed pond was unsettling. The sloping hillside had been disrupted by the large amount of cut and fill required to create the spring fed pond. At the same time, the tall spindly trees at the edge of the clearing were also strange. They were sun starved trees with leaves only at the top that one would generally find in the middle of the forest, not those of the edge.
In time, it became clear that seeing this strangeness as the source of potential beauty was the way to respond. Ephemeral Edge is formed by these four site conditions: the curving edge of the pond, the torqued banks necessary to construct the pond, the spindly edge of the forest, and the quiet beauty of the distant view.
The project began with an intuition to site the house along the curving edge of the pond. As the heart of the site, the pond reflects all the ephemeral aspects of living here: the daily changes of light across the surface of the pond, and the daily and seasonal fluctuations of temperature. Aligning the edge of the house to the edge of the pond brought all these qualities inside the house. Twisting the curvature of the line of the deck in one direction and the line of the rook in the other direction sets up a subtle constant fluctuation in the space that mirrored the constant movement of the water.
The sweep of the pond's edge combines with a section that changes from shared, open, and public spaces at the entry of the house to intimate, private, and enclosed spaces at the far ends of the house. This continuously transforming section organizes the use of the house with a changing quality of interior space. The shared spaces project outward to the deck and the view while the master bedroom at the other end tucks back in a more intimate relationship to the landscape beyond. Constructing this variable section with a ruled surface geometry results in torqued form that feels natural with the torqued banks of the pond.
The character of the delicate forest edge is brought inside the house to become the structure. Three planes of steel reinforcing bars are the primary support for the cantilevered roof surface. They emerge from the concrete foundation walls and become a carefully choreographed sequence of slender steel trunks and branches that allow the house to float lightly above the surface of the water. At the ceiling they support steel channels that cantilever outward to support the perimeter of the roof. By organizing them on a radial grid, the skylights at the top of each of the rebar cages act like sundials that quietly mark the passage of the sun over the course of the day. Sunlight filters through the rebar, filling the house with the dynamic presence of the light and shadow of the forest.
The pond and the distant view are always present in the house. As one shifts through the plan, one is constantly uncovering different aspects of each. It is at the entry to the house, where the dining space aligns with the distant view and the entire space can be completely opened to the immediacy of the pond joins the house to the distant view that this connection is most complete. Doors open all the way through the house joining the table and the dinner party to a completely unusual landscape while occupying a completely intimate space. This is the space of Ephemeral Edge.
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The approach is around the edge of the pond. The forest clearing, pond edge, graded meadow, and sky all shape the house.
Paul Warchol
The torqued form grows from the twisting banks of the manmade pond. Arriving around the house on a ramp, the entry opens through the house to the distant view.
Paul Warchol
The ruled form of the roof describes the activities within. At the arrival end of the house, the living room and study open upward to the deck and the pond. Here, the roof tapers down to shelter the master
Paul Warchol
The lightness and delicacy of the forest and reeds is reflected in the floating posture of the house, suspended above the water on five pier foundations.
Paul Warchol
The dining room, at the center of the house pulls into and out from the entry and the deck. The rebar walls which arise from the pier foundations to structure the house are introduced at the edge of this s
Paul Warchol
There are two ideas of openings, for view and for light: The dining room doors completely open to the pond and the distant view. At the left, the skylight openings bring light into the rebar structural w
Paul Warchol
Translucent panels surround the other sides of the rebar walls creating forest light and shadow that link the house to the spindly trees of the forest clearing.
Paul Warchol
A deep aperture slips into the house from the approach side. It connects the house to the rear meadow and gives the kitchen a way to see the parking and entry ramp area.
Paul Warchol
The deck and roofline twist against each other, the more open deck pulls to the living areas while the sheltering roof pulls to the bedroom. Repeating and varying this edge creates a deep connection betwee
Paul Warchol
In a same way that the pond doubles the house in reflection, the curvature of the glass doubles the occupation of the inside and the outside through mirroring.
Paul Warchol
As evening falls, it is again the occupation of the interior of the house that is prominent in the reflection cast onto the still pond.
Paul Warchol
The house warmly embraces its occupants and draws in the outside world.
Paul Warchol
Looking across the pond to the house in fall.
Dean/Wolf Architects
Approaching the house along the edge of the pond in winter.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The house is sited to take advantage of the distant view.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The torqued form grows from the twisting banks of the manmade pond.
Dean/Wolf Architects
Upon entry, the center of the house opens out to the deck, the pond, and the distant view.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The house curls around a rock at the edge of the pond. The radial geometry allows skylights to act as sundials with each accompanying program filling with light at different times.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The pond sites the house. The curving line of the deck pulls toward the approach while the curving line of the roof pulls out over the water.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The house began as two sections: one private and sheltering inward and the other public and opening outward,
Dean/Wolf Architects
The most public space opens upward in section to welcome the outside in and eliminate any frame for the distant view.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The intimate bathing space tucks into the folded section where the exterior wall peels into the house.
Dean/Wolf Architects
Rebar shadows bring the forest light into the house from the skylights.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The dining room in the center of the house allows the outside to pass through the interior.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The master bedroom section folds down to offer a more secluded and intimate view.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The deep aperture and varied section conflate boundaries between inside and out.
Dean/Wolf Architects
Rebar walls arise from the concrete foundations to support the steel frame and open to skylights above.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The house floats on five pier foundations. The rebar walls that arise from the foundations support a steel framework.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The house torques out of the twisted banks of the manmade pond to envelop the pond.
Dean/Wolf Architects
The varied spatial experiences of the pond, the views, and the light, inspire the multiple states of mind from quiet to engaged for the occupants.
Austerlitz
United States
Confidential
06/2017
185 m2
Dean/Wolf Architects
Kathryn Dean, Charles Wolf, Christopher Kroner, Zachary Rousou
Paul Warchol Photography
Curriculum
Kathryn Dean and her New York City-based office, Dean/Wolf Architects, has a reputation for providing unique transformational designs, turning architectural constraints into powerful generators of form. The office uses architectural design to reinforce the identities of individuals and institutions -- supporting a psychologically rich dialogue between buildings, their users, and the environments they inhabit. Dean/Wolf expresses these visceral collective desires through dynamic memorable spaces that construct the understandings and realms that we share. Through collaborations with clients, agencies, consultants, and builders, Dean/Wolf has completed residential and institutional projects at a variety of scales. The projects are distinguished by a highly thought-provoking manipulation of light and space, precisely activated with sensual materials such as concrete, steel, maple, and glass to dissolve boundaries of interior and exterior space.
