The H-House Saratoga
The name comes from the obvious overall shape of this new house, developed on a narrow, corner lot that necessitated privacy.
Two long wings and two courtyards allowed for the necessary program, a 5,000 sq.ft. home plus a 1,000 sq.ft. basement.
We had to preserve the numerous trees and yet afford the many interior spaces, so we devised a dual roof top terrace, linked by a bridge, recovering some of the open ground covered by the house.
A wing was dedicated to the more open, public spaces plus access to the basement, while the opposite one, aside from a family room, contains several bedrooms.
The center entry element acts like a space in between, a sort of gallery filled with light, height, and art.
The house features a very energy efficient hydronics radiant and heating ceiling system, doing away with duct works and noisy furnaces.
And triple pane Italian windows and exterior doors, cutting off most of the adjacent roadway noise.
A swimming pool was designed for the rear courtyard, however it was not implemented.
The one shown in the photographs has been digitally added to indicate how the house wings were designed to wrap around it and the bridge to become a viewpoint over it.
The many ceiling heights and shapes define the spaces below without having to use many walls.
In the words of a designer who visited it: “I feel the house is hugging me”