This project occupies a wooded site on a lake in rural Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The site formerly held a stone and timber house that was something of a local landmark, but had been destroyed by fire. The owners wished to replace the house using similar materials and, bowing to a sense of local history, create another eye-catching landmark.

Mindful of the clients’ admonition to “go crazy,” DMA created a radial plan, the focus of which is the stair tower that extends from the lowest level to an observation platform. Stone or log walls, arranged as fins that radiate from the central stair element, define the living spaces that occur on three levels. As the area is rich in wildlife and scenery, abundant glazing opens the house to vistas in all directions. The view back to the house, from the lake and from the surrounding area, reinstates the local landmark into the neighborhood.

 

Principal Architect - Chris Moulder, AIA