RIVERHOUSE

Coxsackie, NY

Photographer: Justin M. Weiner


This river-front home is placed along the top of a sharply sloped shale river bank ridge, with the surrounding woods providing design inspiration. Like a walk in the woods, the house and landscape conceal the river views beyond it. Only by entering the home is the full drama of the surroundings revealed.

Two linked wings form the L-shaped plan, dividing the home into private and public spaces and providing a narrow footprint to permit natural cross ventilation. The two wings hug the natural contours forming an entry courtyard. At the intersection of the two wings is the entrance where visitors have their first views of the Hudson River. The public wing perches along the top of the ridge providing

 

commanding views of the river while permitting the landscape to flow under the house and provide space for seven geothermal wells which serve the radiant cooling and heating for the home.

Deep exterior decks provide relief from the summer sun while in the winter permitting warm sunlight into the interior. The exterior rain screen consisting of reclaimed wood and concrete panels are layered to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows providing natural light to the interiors, minimizing the demands on interior lighting. The house is capped with solar panels while the lower roofs are planted with native species minimizing storm water runoff and linking the home back to the natural landscape.