HOUSE AND PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
Phoenicia, NY
The house and photography studio are situated high in the wooded Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. The previously undeveloped 60 acre site was planned and built as an extensive homestead, including a residence, guesthouse, drying shed, photography studio and printing facilities, gardens and a barn, all distributed to take advantage of the natural topographic features and views of the site.
The compound, as a place of solitude and contemplation, was created for and inspired by a world renowned photographer’s work and exploration.
The main structure explores and transforms a traditional vernacular shed roof structure, containing the living spaces, by placing it on a concrete plinth containing offices, a printing press, an archive, a darkroom, and a studio space. The two story high studio space emerges out of the plinth and is expressed as a second shed roof structure that, in relation to the main shed structure, forms a semi enclosed terrace, framing views to the distant forest and mountains. Cedar shingles cladding the shed structures contrast with the concrete texture, produced by the formwork and adjacent rough stone walls that are constructed with material found on site. Natural aluminum windows and a silver metal roof help tie the cedar and concrete elements together. Driving through the rugged landscape on the newly created road is richly rewarded with a special sense of arrival, when finally situated on the terrace and embraced by the beauty of the Catskills.
Project by Asfour Guzy Architects.