Neal Prince Studio / LS3P

The gentle slope of the site’s topography determined the siting and organization of the house. A series of retaining walls, some low, some high, march down the side of a tree lined hollow that affords views to distant mountains. The house is held high on the hollow wall to maximize these views. The linear quality of the retaining walls prompted a linear solution to the organization of rooms. The majority of rooms—great room, master bedroom are on the upper level, with a media/bunk room and storage/service on the lower level. A guest suite on the main level teams with the volume of the garage to create a modest outdoor courtyard on the streetside of the house. Large sliding doors open to the courtyard, allowing for gentle mountain breezes to condition the space during shoulder seasons.

The house has both a burrowed and a perched quality, a result of the building’s relationship to the retaining walls. On the street side, the house appears to be partially buried in the site. On the view side, the primary volume of the structure cantilevers out over the penultimate wall.

Materials are sourced locally to the greatest extent possible—cypress is the primary cladding material selected for its durability and workability. The retaining walls are sheathed in Swannanoa stone from Western North Carolina, the closest quarry available. The roof is a simple standing seam galvanized metal, used in the region for generations due to its low cost and durability. The client mandated that all landscape plants be local, eliminating the need for an irrigation system- the sole house in the community without one.