Fishcreek Residence
Upstate New York
Fishcreek residence draws inspiration from the barns of the Catskill region. This addition to an existing farmhouse, circa 1902, in upstate New York provides an entertaining, cooking and hang-out space for the clients – a lawyer, violinist and poet and a music entrepreneur, tennis player and gourmet cook.
Formally, the space is derived from the Dutch, Bank and Corn Crib barn typologies. The regular, extruded massing of the Corn Crib barn, with its short eaves, planar gable ends, minimalist and monolithic form serve as the basis for the proposal. From the Dutch barn, the Southwest corner is ‘cut’ at the first-floor stair landing to allow light into the monolithic barn and de-familiarize a typical, rectilinear barn plan, softening the main entry. Like the Bank barn, the project sits on a sloping site, which drives an irregular aperture strategy based on framed views. Apertures are placed irregularly and prominently in areas framing key views, such as looking toward the thickly wooded second parcel from the gathering space, adjacent to the dining nook facing across the site, and the clerestory towards Plattekill Creek from the attic ‘hang-out’ space.
The new volume is connected to the existing house by a glass corridor, formally separating the historic from the added. Passing through the corridor signals the progression of building from old to new, allowing for contemplation, while showcasing the expansive beauty of the Catskill region. The heavy timber structure is expressed in the interior, again drawing inspiration from the region’s barn typologies and local vernacular.
murmur: Heather Roberge, Jon Gregurick
Fishcreek residence draws inspiration from the barns of the Catskill region. This addition to an existing farmhouse, circa 1902, in upstate New York provides an entertaining, cooking and hang-out space for the clients – a lawyer, violinist and poet and a music entrepreneur, tennis player and gourmet cook.
Formally, the space is derived from the Dutch, Bank and Corn Crib barn typologies. The regular, extruded massing of the Corn Crib barn, with its short eaves, planar gable ends, minimalist and monolithic form serve as the basis for the proposal. From the Dutch barn, the Southwest corner is ‘cut’ at the first-floor stair landing to allow light into the monolithic barn and de-familiarize a typical, rectilinear barn plan, softening the main entry. Like the Bank barn, the project sits on a sloping site, which drives an irregular aperture strategy based on framed views. Apertures are placed irregularly and prominently in areas framing key views, such as looking toward the thickly wooded second parcel from the gathering space, adjacent to the dining nook facing across the site, and the clerestory towards Plattekill Creek from the attic ‘hang-out’ space.
The new volume is connected to the existing house by a glass corridor, formally separating the historic from the added. Passing through the corridor signals the progression of building from old to new, allowing for contemplation, while showcasing the expansive beauty of the Catskill region. The heavy timber structure is expressed in the interior, again drawing inspiration from the region’s barn typologies and local vernacular.
murmur: Heather Roberge, Jon Gregurick
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