Springs Lane House Rappahannock, Virginia home, USA Residential Architecture Images
Springs Lane House, Rappahannock County
American Residential Development design by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
Sep 24, 2015
Design: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
Location: Rappahannock County, Virginia, USA
Rolling topography, open fields and woodlands comprise a 24 acre site in Rappahannock County, Virginia where the Springs Lane House is located.
Photos by Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer
Springs Lane House in Rappahannock, Virginia
Extensive site investigation, including erecting scaffolding at various locations, resulted in the placement of the house high on one of the hills, overlooking a meadow at the base of woodlands. The house is organized as a series of volumes, arranged linearly and positioned to optimize distant views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The structure itself becomes a threshold and defines a more intimate, manicured outdoor environment between the house and the edge of the forest. The linear organization allows the majority of spaces to maintain mountain views while providing accessibility to a terrace with the swimming pool and the manicured area. The two-story living / dining space has floor-to-ceiling glass at each end, providing a lens through which to view the mountains from the terrace.
The rigorous, refined and geometric forms of the building are designed in sharp contrast to the undulating, natural landscape. The contrast is intended to magnify the beauty of the site while allowing the house to provide a framework to view the landscape. These views become the orienting device. Simple volumes comprised of glass, wood, stone and fiber cement panels are combined to render a more complex composition while garnering a serene unity.
Interior spaces are active and intricate, tranquil and minimal. With vistas in all directions, large expanses of glass allow the landscape views to provide the primary sensory experience.
A geothermal HVAC system, energy efficient appliances, wall and ceiling infrastructure with maximum insulation, a rain-screen cladding system, extensive daylighting and solar-sensored shades are employed with the expectation of reducing fossil fuel consumption. Large operable windows and doors are placed to provide natural ventilation.
This house is pragmatic and pristine. Proportion, texture and light organize and animate the project. The composition is simultaneously complex and distilled. Most importantly, the house provides a framework to experience an inherently beautiful landscape.
Springs Lane House – Building Information
Architect: Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
Project Architect: Brian Tuskey
Contractor: Erwin Opitz, Opitz Construction Consulting, Inc.
Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
Landscape Architect: Kevin Campion, Campion Hruby Landscape Architects
Interior Designer: Therese Baron Gurney, ASID, Baron Gurney Interiors
Photographer: Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer
Becherer House in Virginia images / information from Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
Location: Rappahannock County, Virginia, USA
Virginia Buildings
Virginia Architecture Designs – selection below:
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Extension
Design: Rick Mather Architects
image Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Pharrell Williams Resource Center, Virginia Beach
Design: Chad Oppenheim
image from architects
Pharrell Williams Resource Center
Holly Grove Mansion – project, Charleston
Design: Swanke Hayden Connell Architects
image from architects
Charleston Building
Virginia Beach Convention Center
Design: SOM
photo from SOM
Virginia Beach Convention Center
Comments / photos for the Springs Lane House in Virginia design by Robert M. Gurney, FAIA Architect page welcome.
