In the river town of Croton-on-Hudson, about an hour’s drive from Midtown Manhattan, property is prized for its dramatic water views. Resolution: 4 Architecture (RES4), a New York–based firm founded by Joseph Tanney and Robert Luntz, has designed numerous modern houses in the river and oceanfront towns surrounding the city, but perhaps no location influenced the firm’s work so clearly from first sight as this one. Though the clients, a retired couple seeking an escape from Manhattan, had approached RES4 to design a prefabricated vacation house for the property, there was not enough room to truck the modules on the narrow, winding road leading up to the site. So the architects proposed a more conventional construction instead. “Yet the strategies we employed are still similar in terms of organization and efficiency,” says Tanney.
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The overall tactic focused on lifting the house as high as possible, 9 feet above grade, to take advantage of the Hudson River views. The house is composed of a main volume, clad in metal siding, supported on steel columns, with a stair and elevator core on its south side faced in ipé wood. This larger form extends eastward to rest on a narrow bar-like structure, sheathed in white cement board, which encloses mechanical systems and storage space.
At the intersection of the two, the architects carved a space for the carport, through which a visitor first glimpses the river. “It’s like a portal,” says Tanney. “You get this incredible framed view.” Since one of the clients likes to swim every day, the architects placed a pool beneath the main volume of the house, where it is sheltered from the sun.
On the level above, a covered deck separates the living area from a guest bedroom on the west. This captured exterior space, overlooking the town and river, has a fire pit—along with insect screens that drop from the deck’s soffit. Inside, the architects designed built-in furniture, including low white oak cabinetry, a banquette in the dining area, and wardrobes and a bed in the master suite on the east end, all intended to increase the sense of openness and views and minimize visual clutter. “It’s intended as a refuge,” says Tanney. In fact, the project was so transformative that soon after finishing the house, the couple hired RES4 to renovate their Manhattan apartment, where they can escape the tranquility of the countryside when desired.
CreditsArchitect: Resolution: 4 Architecture; 150 West 28th Street Suite 1902, New York, NY, 212-675-9266, www.re4a.com
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Robert Luntz, AIA, Joseph Tanney, AIA, and Lindsay Kunz
Engineers: Structural: Dominick R. Pilla Associates PC Mechanical: Gabor M. Szakal Consulting Engineers, PC Civil: Cronin Engineering PE, PC
Consultants: Audio Visual: Sounds Ideas Landscape: Ryna Lustig Landscape Consulting LLC Security: All Time Detection Inc.
General contractor: Montana Contracting
Photographer: Emily Andrews, Resolution: 4 Architecture |
SpecificationsExterior Cladding Metal panels: Fabral 7/8” Corrugated Metal Siding, Mica – Pewter (Walls); Fabral Select Series 12-12R0 Flat, Mico - Pewter Rainscreen: Benjamin Obdyke Slicker Classic Rainscreen Mesh Moisture barrier: ZIP System Wall Sheathing and Tape Other cladding unique to this project: Azek Panel (Window Infill Panels)
Windows Metal frame: Western Windows Systems
Doors Entrances: Western Window Systems Sliding doors: Western Window Systems
Hardware Locksets: Emtek Brass Helios (Interior Doors) Other special hardware: Carl Stahl Stainless Steel Cable Mesh Handrail
Interior Finishes Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Kountry Kraft Paints and stains: Benjamin Moore Aura Solid surfacing: Dupont Corian, Porcelanosa Krion Floor and wall tile: Stone Source Q-Stone Minimal (Floor), Nasco White Thassos (Wall) Special interior finishes unique to this project: Kohler Robern M-Series Medicine Cabinets, Electro-Kinetics TV Lift (in Master Bedroom), Arakawa Art Rail
Furnishings Chairs: Desiron Nolita Upholstered Arm Chair, Sutherland Lakeshore Lounge Chair, Restoration Coronado Chaises, B&B Italia Tulip Chairs, Palau Sofa Tables: Custom Walnut Dining Table and Coffee Table by Wallace Shaw Upholstery: Knoll Ransom / Motive (Desiron Chairs), Designtex Woodcut Graphite (Dining Banquette & Sofas)
Lighting Interior ambient lighting: WAC InvisiLED Pro 2, WAC LEDme Trimless Step Light Downlights: USAi Lighting BeveLED Tasklighting: Holtkotter Adjustable Reading Lamp Exterior: Hinkley Kube Square Downlight, Eurofase Lighting Inground Uplight Dimming system or other lighting controls: Lutron RadioRA 2 Lighting Control System
Conveyance Elevators/escalators: HandiLift Residential Elevator
Plumbing Cube Metro Lavatory Sink: Wetstyle Cube Undercounter Trough Sink: Wetstyle Ava Single-Lever Mixed: KWC Ava Rectange Overhead Shower: KWC Starck 2 Wall Hung Toilet: Duravit Neorest 550 Elongated Toilet / Bidet: Toto Winifred Resin Freestanding Tub: Signature Hardware Linear Drain: Infinity Drain Butler Steam Shower Package: Mr. Steam Culina Semo-Professional Faucet: Blanco Strive Undermount Sink: Kohler
Energy Photovoltaic system: ACE Solar Other unique products that contribute to sustainability: Geothermal Closed Loop Heating & Cooling Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project: Warmboard Radiant Flooring |
