mt tobias

a single family house built on the watershed in upstate new york (in collaboration with idsr architecture).

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1 – esopus creek. water is the main resource connecting the catskills to nyc. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

2 – both decks are clad with unfinished larch that weathers to a silver-gray color. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

3 – hidden approach through the trees. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

4 – outdoor area for work and material storage behind the studio. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

5 – the inhabited volume of the house sits on a platform. the slope of the mountain continues unobstructed as much as possible underneath. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

6 – the platform establishes a new raised ground plane. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

7 – interior and exterior is clad in larch wood. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

8 – from the inside the treetops are close. (image credit: bertrand cavalier)

nature in the catskill region is not undisturbed. the area has been farmed and cleared of trees for agriculture and commercial enterprise since the 18th century. hemlock bark for tanning animal hides. oak and other hardwoods harvested for lumber to build structures. this is part of a continuing city-country symbiosis between upstate and downstate new york. while the catskills once supplied the new york city industries with hemlock bark and hardwood lumber, the current resource connecting the mountains to the city is water.

the house is a sustainable single family home built to passive house standards sited on the hillside of mount tobias in ulster county, new york. the water flowing over and under the property runs directly into the department of environmental protection (dep) water supply land. elevated on a platform to minimize the site impact, structural piers support the house volume and limit disruption to existing site drainage. the piers also limit the required excavation and removal of existing trees.

the steel frame platform of the house is anchored by a partially submerged concrete mechanical room. a single gabled volume created from several prefabricated structural insulated panels (sip) rests on the elevated platform. based on a traditional longhouse typology, organized around the main central public space, the bedrooms and bathrooms are situated on either side of the main space. two lofts are stacked above the bedrooms, on either side of the house with large openings on either side of the main, public space. smaller openings punctuate the walls on the private bedroom ends of the house.

mt tobias

last updated November 5, 2024