Flying Bend
Flying Bend house is a new modern residence built into a densely-wooded hillside, a half mile off the Hudson River and just under an hour from Manhattan. The property’s distinctive shape and steep slope created a series of restraints that ultimately led to a home design that embraced the natural landscape and nestles into the topography.
The site is located on a steep slope in Westchester County. The unique-shaped lot drops below the roadway creating a challenge for how the homeowner’s could access the new home. However, we found that by following the natural topography, we were able to introduce a gradually sloping driveway that would have minimal disturbance to the dense woods on the property. Additionally, this long driveway and retaining wall creates a drainage barrier to keep rainwater away from the home.
We began by designing a series of terraces that followed the property’s natural slope. This allowed us to create a shell which contained all the family’s desired spaces, yet also seemed to dissolve into the landscape and embed itself into the hill. This stepped form provided the west-facing rear of the home with lush forest views and ample exterior space (on both patios and roof decks.) The home’s interior follows a similar path that steps the family down as they transition into the gathering spaces at the rear of the home.
While the stepped approach allowed most areas of the home to have views out to nature, we found that by bending the form in three key locations we were able to give nearly every room in the home a connection to the outdoors. On the first floor, the double-loaded volume breaks apart to create a planted atrium that feels like it enters the home. Whereas, on the second floor the primary suite swings out to maximize privacy and the children’s wing turns in a gesture that connects it with the landscape architecture at entry.
As the solid concrete base of the home steps down and dissolves into the land, it creates terraces that become gradually lighter and more open. The rear of the home’s first floor is walled in floor-to-ceiling glass and ends with a large, covered outdoor seating area. The rear gathering spaces are then capped by an exterior roof deck that creates private spaces for the family to take in the views toward the Hudson River.
As you enter the property and head toward the semi-detached garage, you are gradually carving into the landscape. The concrete retaining wall and the base of the home create a feeling of compression which gives the illusion that the wood-wrapped form above you is floating. Additionally, this second-story bar scheme bends to overlook the entrance of the driveway and seems to fly overhead as you descend.
