This is a project currently under construction by our office. It was a design build project located in Bridgehampton, NY. I was only used in the construction document and 3d drafting phase. Currently we are all participating in the construction phase detailing and execution

The house is based on a 22' grid of columns which will be wrapped with actual trees. The entire structue is elevated off the ground to get views of the ocean beyond. The projects sits high atop a morain and sets up for beautiful views. As you can see it is a very large house (+-10,000 square feet). I thought these renderings would be worth showing as an example of some raw sketchup output. The concept for this is a modern Tree House in which the entire building floats within a structural grid of Trees. The entire project will be wrapped in natural materials.

Program-
Upper Level Living- Master, Master Bath, Library, Kitchen, Breakfast, Dining Room, Living Room, Den, Powder Room

Mid Level - Bedroom #1 w/ Bath, Bedroom #2 w/bath, Guest Suite w/bath, Living Space, Gym w/bath

Plaza -Screen Porch, Entry, Pool House, Maids Room w/bath

Basement - Future use - Theater, Bathroom Etc.

Residental Construction

this diagram roughly shows the site +- 10 Acres, and the red indicates the access to the site.

Believe it or not, from the Upper level you can see this ocean from every single room.

Sketchup Raw Images

The contours were not smoothed out to help us to actualy final grade measurements and helped us set elevation heights for foundation, and masonry work.

Pool Shot

Pool Image 2

"Busstop" Corner

Entry -

This entry was altered for budget reasons. An entry Trellis + an additional garage was removed to cut costs.

The above image was the original concept.

Below you will see a close-up of pool house

Side Elevation

Back Elevation

Actual Construction Images-

View From Upper Level

Additional View

Water View

Current Status -

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A sense of the Interiors.

That's a huge house! :eek:
Can you post the plans?

That's HUGE!!!

I like the way it "hangs" on the columns and the way how you bring them outside!!. looks really cool. but I'd like to see the plans.
funny someone needs to cut costs on an "additional garage" :o

Yeah...the sheet sizes are 24 x 60 inches! :eek:

Upper Level

Mid Level

wow 3 stars that is aweful :confused:

.....i will give six stars to this project if you would give me a greencard to come to work in NewYork to play with those huge 'domestic' budgets your clients seem to have. :wondering

....Very nice volumetrics

Yeah I was only really posting the drawings...I thought it was a decent sketchup raw format example.

As far as budgets go. We have big ones...but we invest so much time and resources into them that there is hardly any money left for the office.

Interesting project JP. A completely different way to build. It would be very interesting to see the constructive drawings, how do you solve roofs, structure, slabs, floors, foundations, stone finishes, etc.

wow 3 stars that is aweful :confused:

Do you actually care? It's not your design (at least I cannot notice the Barragán influence).
True it's great sketchupping, but the project is not that beautiful.
Anyways it probably has an awesome kitchen!

Do you actually care? It's not your design (at least I cannot notice the Barragán influence).
True it's great sketchupping, but the project is not that beautiful.
Anyways it probably has an awesome kitchen!

I agree JP. You do a better job on your own projects with a modest budget. It is better than the typical high-budget mcmansion but it is not a simple, clear design that I am attracted to. Maybe you should have been more involved! I am glad that you shared this with us though.

i think the house should be renamed. "treehouse" conjures an image of small restrained lightweight building, sort of like a gabriel poole house...

this thing isn't a treehouse at all.. it actually doesn't sit beside or among the trees rather to me it is set back from them and sits more isolated looking across them from a distance like some overgrown grandiouse pavillion... i cannot get over how huge this is, it looks like an admin building not a house..

i almost feel like i cannot comment about the building and design cos i'm still blown away by how large this is, are the brady bunch living here??? or king rama 4th and his 40 wives and 90 children??

king rama 4th and his 40 wives and 90 children??
Or for Hugh Hefner and his bunnies :D . And for your information King Rama had only one wife , Krishna is the bigamist with 8.4 million consorts :D .

This house ain't very homey , sorry JP , I'll take the Contemporary Barn anyday .

well there have been 9 king rama's this current one only has one wife but the old kings used to be philandering mofos always jumping from bed to bed, the movie the "king and i" talks about the harem of the king and the person had to teach the children... so i may have gotten the number wrong i think it was ..but close, we are now under king rama 9 rule, he is 78yo and his son is a bit of a playboy/baron/and involved in some dodgy deals but that is another story..

well there have been 9 king rama's this current one only has one wife but the old kings used to be philandering mofos always jumping from bed to bed, the movie the "king and i" talks about the harem of the king and the person had to teach the children... so i may have gotten the number wrong i think it was ..but close, we are now under king rama 9 rule, he is 78yo and his son is a bit of a playboy/baron/and involved in some dodgy deals but that is another story..
Thought we were talking Hindu mythology .

I agree JP. You do a better job on your own projects with a modest budget. It is better than the typical high-budget mcmansion but it is not a simple, clear design that I am attracted to. Maybe you should have been more involved! I am glad that you shared this with us though.

Agreed. Sorry JP, but I don't feel attracted by the project also.

Two things bothers me more:

The roof seems too heavy. When I look the house I can't think in nothing else than a thin structure floating above the house. The whole composition is already very heavy and I guess that the roof is putting it really down.

And I don't like the trees idea (actually I still can't imagine how it's gonna look like but doesn't feel good). The house have this beautiful beam structure and it will be wrapped with trees to give a fake effect.

Just my thoughts.

Anymore pics?

I'm afraid I have to toss my hat in the disapproving ring also. My first impressions were similar to others – Treehouse? It’s ha-UGE!
I’m not a fan of the proportions of this building – not just its scale. The proportions of the roof fascia, the windows, the columns:they all seem at odds with each other.
:(

very interesting project. yes it's "huge"!

reminds me of Paul Rudolph's work at Umass Dartmouth (Univer. of Massachusetts at North Dartmouth, MA). for the reason the building becomes larger at the top.

www.umassd.edu/about/rudolph/architect.cfm

www.umassd.edu/about/rudolph/imageoverhangs.cfm

Interesting project JP. A completely different way to build. It would be very interesting to see the constructive drawings, how do you solve roofs, structure, slabs, floors, foundations, stone finishes, etc.



Catching up on the questions -
I will be happy to post some details + specific drawings...

Do you actually care? It's not your design (at least I cannot notice the Barragán influence).
True it's great sketchupping, but the project is not that beautiful.
Anyways it probably has an awesome kitchen!

Well I posted really for the sketchup drawings, but the crit has really been about the design - which I don't blame you guys because it is very different. (Clearly it isn't mine as you point out :D )

I agree JP. You do a better job on your own projects with a modest budget. It is better than the typical high-budget mcmansion but it is not a simple, clear design that I am attracted to. Maybe you should have been more involved! I am glad that you shared this with us though.

Thanks - I Really think + hope I can get one of you out here to see it..

i think the house should be renamed. "treehouse" conjures an image of small restrained lightweight building, sort of like a gabriel poole house...

this thing isn't a treehouse at all.. it actually doesn't sit beside or among the trees rather to me it is set back from them and sits more isolated looking across them from a distance like some overgrown grandiouse pavillion... i cannot get over how huge this is, it looks like an admin building not a house..

i almost feel like i cannot comment about the building and design cos i'm still blown away by how large this is, are the brady bunch living here??? or king rama 4th and his 40 wives and 90 children??

Treehouse is probably a bad name for it...It is more of a contemporary home built like an office building wrapped in natural materials.

Part of the illusion is the site...yes it is pretty big, but it is only 20 feet wide - The grid of columns are really 20' x 20'. The way the project is elevated on the highest part of the site (critical for view) thus exaggerates the scale of the building.

Or for Hugh Hefner and his bunnies :D . And for your information King Rama had only one wife , Krishna is the bigamist with 8.4 million consorts :D .

This house ain't very homey , sorry JP , I'll take the Contemporary Barn anyday .


Thanks :not worth

very interesting project. yes it's "huge"!

reminds me of Paul Rudolph's work at Umass Dartmouth (Univer. of Massachusetts at North Dartmouth, MA). for the reason the building becomes larger at the top.

www.umassd.edu/about/rudolph/architect.cfm

www.umassd.edu/about/rudolph/imageoverhangs.cfm


INARCH wins!

He is so on you don't even know. My bosses worked for Rudolph for many years. It clearly draws inspiration from him and his work. The prokect you selected isn't quite it...but I will try to locate a clear reference asap.

The concept of these big overhangs, and volumes pushing in and out of a rigid grid was used by Rudolph in some of his residential works. The twist is the natural materials. Most of his projects were all white volumes and glass openings. Our client wanted a stone village...with all natural materials. We would all love to express that steel frame...but it will be wrapped in wood...

great works
reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright ‘s Prairie housese.
but why the roof is that thick.Is it because the climate of NY?

Pics, More Pics!!! :cheers:

great works
reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright ‘s Prairie housese.
but why the roof is that thick.Is it because the climate of NY?


How else can you support 15+ foot cantilevers!

But u assume correctly, part of the requirements of NY state are energy calculations. When you fill walls with glass you obviously loose R-VAlue. It has to go somewere....A thin roof also wood vanish in a house of that scale...that top band is 30 inches

Great Project!!!

Any new news or images?

I will be going there tomorrow to take some new ones...I will post some Sunday. Thanks for your interest.

I will be going there tomorrow to take some new ones...I will post some Sunday. Thanks for your interest.

I will be looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Thanks.

Updated Images as requested!

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I think this shot really captures the essence for me...

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Interior Status

this is a monster! reminds me those huge fascinating brutalist concrete buildings but this one in wood... great work!

It seems strange to me that too so many, their first reaction to the house is that its “huge”. Why is this? Is it uncommon to get huge houses nowadays?
I think we can all agree that there is a trend to move to smaller dwellings and houses, why?

Anyway I must add that I don’t felt that your skp model did justice to the design and I am rather relived to see the actual building. I feel the house in reality is far better on all accounts that the model, which is often not the case.

The one criticism (and im not sure there is anything you could have done about it) is that normally when you find houses in similar setting to this one, they are often designed to blend in and lightly touch the landscape. It is not a negative criticism because you may argue that the client wanted to house the have a presence there. Let us know if you thought about this.

It seems strange to me that too so many, their first reaction to the house is that its “huge”. Why is this? Is it uncommon to get huge houses nowadays?
I think we can all agree that there is a trend to move to smaller dwellings and houses, why?


oh i don´t know... money perhaps?

The one criticism (and im not sure there is anything you could have done about it) is that normally when you find houses in similar setting to this one, they are often designed to blend in and lightly touch the landscape. It is not a negative criticism because you may argue that the client wanted to house the have a presence there. Let us know if you thought about this.

If you check post #14 you will see the reason. The house is lifted up and the living space is on the upper level to get the views you see in that image.

If this project tucked into the landscape you wouldn't have the water views that you currently get with the house on "stilts"

this is a monster! reminds me those huge fascinating brutalist concrete buildings but this one in wood... great work!


Everyones reaction is that is huge - which isn't the greatest critique to say the least. Out here this is a very familiar scale in residential work. Maybe people are unfamiliar with this particular scale, but the size of it shouldn't make it a good or bad project.

In some cases this is a small house out here...It is very long (around 120'), but it is only about 20' wide....

Useable Floor Area ? Foot Print Area?

Why is the ground level so open as a matter of interest?

I like the scheme generally & it shows a high quality of detailing

Everyones reaction is that is huge - which isn't the greatest critique to say the least. Out here this is a very familiar scale in residential work. Maybe people are unfamiliar with this particular scale, but the size of it shouldn't make it a good or bad project.

In some cases this is a small house out here...It is very long (around 120'), but it is only about 20' wide....

hm, I am really not used to this scale of a family house. compared to this most houses being built nowadays here in .cz are normally 3 times smaller. that's where my surprise came from.

and yes considering only the footprint dimensions it doesn't look that big. but you could post an example of some house of a similar size to compare the effect it has. The idea of putting the largest spaces (living spaces) to the top floor because of the possible panoramas and covering them by the massive cantilevered roof simply made the house monumental - looks much bigger than it actually is. So isn't it a natural reaction to call it huge?
And what I especially like about it is that the house is not monumental just for monumentality's sake, but that there's something behind it (mentioned above).
And the monumentality is well handled, there's no intention to weaken it, no fear of it, rather the contrary, a lot of tricks to support it. The columns span 3 floors - high order, the cantilevering roof and its thickness etc.
I really like it, OK? And I suppose you do as well!

Everyones reaction is that is huge - which isn't the greatest critique to say the least. Out here this is a very familiar scale in residential work. Maybe people are unfamiliar with this particular scale, but the size of it shouldn't make it a good or bad project.

In some cases this is a small house out here...It is very long (around 120'), but it is only about 20' wide....

Just a general comment about size. I do think that size has a lot to do with the quality of a project. If a project is wasteful of our resources then it is a bad project. (even though the architecture may not be objectionable) Who is to say what is too big, but to me a house is a shelter for dreaming and the place that memories are made. I think that it gives up part of its soul when the house becomes about status.(which is more and more of a problem) For example: there are many vacation homes in western Montana. I find a 20,000 sf. house that is occupied 4 weeks out of the year morally objectionable. I hope that I could turn such a project down in the future, or at least sway the client to build something that will meet their needs, not a status symbol home.

I cannot say that this house is too big, because I don't know how it uses resources. I will say that the roof line feels way out of scale to me. That is my biggest problem with this one. It looks like the roof is almost half as deep as one of the floors, that is what I do not like about it. I look forward to see more finished interior shots, judging from past work, I am sure they will be spectacular!

people, define huge please. :D

i think huge is relative! considering its different on every countries.

btw, how long do u take to finish that work? (approx time)

cant wait to see the interior view...

The size is not big by Long Island, uber-mansion standards. But the scale is huge; magnified by all the Rudolphian structural gymnastics. Its a handsome building, but not domestic. Looks like a suburban corporate headquarters.

INARCH wins!

He is so on you don't even know. My bosses worked for Rudolph for many years. It clearly draws inspiration from him and his work. The prokect you selected isn't quite it...but I will try to locate a clear reference asap.

The concept of these big overhangs, and volumes pushing in and out of a rigid grid was used by Rudolph in some of his residential works. The twist is the natural materials. Most of his projects were all white volumes and glass openings. Our client wanted a stone village...with all natural materials. We would all love to express that steel frame...but it will be wrapped in wood...

Does size really matter?

Paul Rudolph was a great Architect but not everyone shares a love for the buildings he designed. This house is very well designed and the level of detailing is clearly beyond what is typical of some of today's residential projects.

I also sense the client fell in love with this design early on and wanted to see it come to fruition regardless of cost? Was the client aware of the Rudolph influence in the office during the initial interviews?

Are there other projects in your office that look like Rudolph's work?

I believe your office is influenced by Rudolph but has taken on personalized approach to design. This house is 3 levels, 20x20 and mostly glass, set high in the landscape. Although it is a "massive" structure, I think being inside would give you a sense of the outdoors, aka "treehouse" feeling. Also the views must be amazing on the upper floors. Was there any option to explore the roof as an outdoor level?

What is the exterior wall assembly? I see plywood, tyvek, and wood siding, is it a rain screen design?

I personally am not sold on the design of this house and feel a completely different approach would have rendered more favorable results. However, I do applaude the built project and it's unique character.

The renderings are very good but to me it doesn't look like a house at all, more like an academic building than anything else - it's sort of a cross between something designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier - correction, scrub Le Corbusier. Still if the clients like it then it aint going to matter what anybody else says. Scale of the overhanging roof feels wrong and not proportional to the rest of the building and the holes are a bit over the top. I'd have to agree with comments about the apparent lack of thought given to it's use of resources and in my humble opinion it looks like it's saying 'look at what I did!'

the exposed structure is very well detailed. Is there anything interesting happening in section? (maybe a quick cut with SketchUP).

Does size really matter?

Paul Rudolph was a great Architect but not everyone shares a love for the buildings he designed. This house is very well designed and the level of detailing is clearly beyond what is typical of some of today's residential projects.

I also sense the client fell in love with this design early on and wanted to see it come to fruition regardless of cost? Was the client aware of the Rudolph influence in the office during the initial interviews?

Cost is definitly an issue, and currently is an issue - at the time it was designed steel was cheaper to build those large overhangs, and balconies.The clients have a larger then normal budget, but it has gone beyond that unfortunatly

Are there other projects in your office that look like Rudolph's work?

None, we do one of a kind architecture

I believe your office is influenced by Rudolph but has taken on personalized approach to design. This house is 3 levels, 20x20 and mostly glass, set high in the landscape. Although it is a "massive" structure, I think being inside would give you a sense of the outdoors, aka "treehouse" feeling. Also the views must be amazing on the upper floors. Was there any option to explore the roof as an outdoor level?

You really are on the right wavelength...there is access to the roof, but because of codes you cannot put a handrail on the roof. If we did we would have to lower the entire house by the handrail height. The handrail counts on the overall height measurement. Most people end up doing it after the project is completed.

What is the exterior wall assembly? I see plywood, tyvek, and wood siding, is it a rain screen design?
Steel studs, insulation, plywood, tyvek and double width horzontal beveled cedar siding. Not sure about the phrase rain screen design, but it it is very standard horizontal wood siding detailing


I personally am not sold on the design of this house and feel a completely different approach would have rendered more favorable results. However, I do applaude the built project and it's unique character.

Thanks, if I designed it, I think I would have made efforts to make it lighter in the mass...even if it meant reducing the scale of the overhangs

I think the problem is that the depth of the steel to make the overhangs makes it seem that much more massive. Then the natural materials wrapping it makes it seem even bigger. If it was a smooth potentially panel design in a light color...maybe it would read less massive...The scale of the structure is over emphasized

Does size really matter?

Paul Rudolph was a great Architect but not everyone shares a love for the buildings he designed. This house is very well designed and the level of detailing is clearly beyond what is typical of some of today's residential projects.

I also sense the client fell in love with this design early on and wanted to see it come to fruition regardless of cost? Was the client aware of the Rudolph influence in the office during the initial interviews?

Are there other projects in your office that look like Rudolph's work?

I believe your office is influenced by Rudolph but has taken on personalized approach to design. This house is 3 levels, 20x20 and mostly glass, set high in the landscape. Although it is a "massive" structure, I think being inside would give you a sense of the outdoors, aka "treehouse" feeling. Also the views must be amazing on the upper floors. Was there any option to explore the roof as an outdoor level?

What is the exterior wall assembly? I see plywood, tyvek, and wood siding, is it a rain screen design?

I personally am not sold on the design of this house and feel a completely different approach would have rendered more favorable results. However, I do applaude the built project and it's unique character.

Paul Rudolph is my favorite modern (international style) designer. I don't think that there is a good modern house out there that doesn't tip its hat at his work. He was a master of proportion, and while I can see the reference, I don't see the proportional sensitivity that Rudolph brought to his projects. That is my biggest criticism of this project.

Although I agree with alot of the critisism, my first impression was wow this is cool and seriosuly different, would love to see it when I go back to NY.

Are the exterior columns going to remain as shown in the pics? I like them more than the SU model. The model rendered round column covers, or cast conc columns, or something. I like the structure as is.

I agree with ryarch, The exposed exterior steel is actually making the project grow on me a little. At first I had similar critiques of the roof and massing, but the real pics probably do it more justice.

How the hell did I miss this one JP... guess I'm not omni-present after all :)

I must say that I agree with some of the comments on the sketchup version vs. the real version... I wasn't too sure about the design seeing the model... but seeing the actual building I have a better appreciation of the design... I too, though, am not crazy about the proportions of that roof. And someone made a comment about this seeming like an education building... I think its about scale... the roof making this building seem not like a house but more of a non-residential type of building. There are other things that do that too but it is interesting, hearing the main width is only 20', because I think there are some proportional things going on in this design which are throwing us all off on the scale issue... But all that said this is an intriguing design... thanks for the post JP...

ps... on a side note... how do your bosses take you posting their work on PPB? I have one I have been wanting to post but because legally it isn't mine to share I am always debating with myself about whether to post things or not from work...

Although I agree with alot of the critisism, my first impression was wow this is cool and seriosuly different, would love to see it when I go back to NY.


If you come this way I will take you there and many other places. Tons to see out by me.

Thanks for the offer, maybe November-January again, who knows, time will tell!

while surfing on the net came across at this house that kind of reminded me the one I've seen on this thread...
Guess how it was called...steel "Tree House":) by Joel Sherman
...
notice the thin roof...makes it much more elegant