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“Wedged into a tight lot along Lake Candlewood in New Fairfield, Connecticut, this new home’s form and structure was derived from observations of trees and an adaptation of local building techniques. The project began with studies of leaf canopies, accumulated ring structures, and the dappled light that filters through groups of trees. Multiple study models in several media (concrete, acrylic, wood, plaster), investigated how light flows through perforations in these various materials. We used these models to observe, secondarily, how certain materials would be suited to creating a stable, discrete, but minimal structure. During the formative process we were interested in designing a house that seemed in large part to float and protect, much like the tree canopies on the site shelter the ground beneath them. The final design, a house of 5400 square feet, involved an intense collaboration with Guy Nordenson and Associates, Structural Engineers. Artreehoose won a Custom Home Design Award in 2009 and an Award of Honor for Housing Design from the Boston Society of Architects in 2010.” – Della Valle Bernheimer.
