Cosy for two, room for everyone
South Carolina Villa — a private family home on a steep, wooded 2.1-acre site in Travelers Rest, designed with Giacomo Pizzo.
LOCATION
Travelers Rest, SC
SCALE
2.1-acre site
CLIENT
Private, with Giacomo Pizzo
YEAR
2021 — 2022
STATUS
In review
THE BRIEF
A timeless home for a growing family on a steep, wooded site: cosy enough for two, able to open up for a full household.
MY ROLE
Project management and concept design: site analysis, massing and layout studies, plans, sections and renderings.
The site
Understanding the topography
The plot is steep: it faces north-west, with a height difference of 88 ft.
Concept
Developing a strong concept
Two L-shaped volumes create a “private” interior courtyard between the guest house and the main house.
Creating a moment of pause
The courtyard is a curated nature within a wild forest: a place to grow vegetables, and to relax, play and enjoy the view.
The spaces
The interior concept
The interior is defined by stereotomic blocks that shape the spaces. These blocks sit along the low side of the pitched roof because they hold the more practical functions.
The entrance starts as a low corridor that slowly opens up into a combined kitchen and living space, then narrows into the staircase down to the underground space that connects the two houses.
Organising the spaces
The house is organised across two levels: the main house, and the guest house one storey below, joined by the stairs and the underground space.
Understanding the details
The sections and cross-section of the house. Because the roof is pitched one way, the height of the house changes dramatically from back to front.
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