Schematic Design was completed on this house project in Leverett, MA for two philosophy professors at UMASS. Their desire was to have a house that minimizes the impact on local and regional environment in its siting, design, construction and operation - one that is based on the principle of living as you would like others to live. However, they didn't want to sacrifice a quality of life.

Our clients had made an offer on a piece of property that was sloped downward to the west. Large trees including hemlocks and beech remained from the partially cleared site. The septic system design had been completed a decade earlier, and since then the by-laws of Leverett had become more onerous. In the end, this house was not built because the waste system could not be permitted. Our clients purchased a different property nearby and we designed another house for them that they now live in.

The couple is planning to stay in the house after they retire and needed all of the primary living spaces to be on one level and functionally accessible with universal design. The program includes the traditional spaces such as living, dining, kitchen, entry, mudroom, but also a study for each of the college philosophy professors.

The fundamental organizing concept of this house is a wall located along the slope of the hill with spaces organized on the uphill side. The wall provides shelter and privacy from the access drive through the neighborhood to the West, and the spaces are open with glazing to the East, and look into the forest. Small outdoor spaces such as patio, screened porch, hot tub and deck tumble off the house and provide the indoor/outdoor transitions. "Juliette" balconies open off the spaces to the west through the wall to allow the house to be completely open on both sides when the weather permits.

A walkout lower level opens to the east from below the main level with a small patio. The lower level contains a bedroom for guests and their children when home for the summer. The family plays music together as well as ping pong, and these functions are easily supported with the footprint created above with all the living spaces on one level.

The construction of the wall to the West and garage was designed to be Durisol and heavily planted with vines so that the house blended into the landscape during the summer months, but during the winter a strong ochre color created contrast to the snow covered slope. The Eastern walls were strapped wood framing with board and batten with triple glazed windows and doors. A metal roof caps the structure will relatively simple roof lines.

Given the desire to utilize renewable technologies, and that the site had already been cleared, we investigated and designed a solar hot water system to provide not only domestic hot water, but also the fulfill some of the needs of a hot tub. The notion was that when the hot tub was not in use, the buildings ventilation and heating system would have a heating coil from the solar tank to provide supplemental heat.  We certainly would have learned from the experience if this project were built as designed.