Sovereign Oaks

Our clients tasked us to design a contemporary home that would stand in stark contrast to the 100+ year old farmhouse where they have lived for over the last 30 years. Critically important to the design is the strong desire to allow for aging-in-place which necessitated the ability to live on a single floor. However, the conditions of the site required a multi-level structure. By loading most of the program on the main level, and reducing the basement level as much as possible via column supports and cantelevers, this allows for a house that will suit the needs of the home-owners into old age, while having a compelling and modern exterior expression.

The exterior expression of this project links three distinct shed roof structures by a flat-roofed hall. The L-shape of the structure holds the topography to allow for a front court to enter the main level, and creates a walk-out basement from the back. Due to the structure’s form, and its location on a corner lot, this project can be viewed in-the-round. From the back, the mirrored shed roof structures appear like a butterfly-roof, emphasizing the expression of the house as lifting out of the site.