Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein

Private Residence

Atlanta, GA

Project Scope:

A single family residence for a family with five children on a wooded site on a ridge looking southward toward a city skyline.

Architect's statement concerning design program
and solution:

Included in the Owners' program was an array of gathering spaces ranging from very open and public in nature, to more private and intimate. Additionally, they required six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, kitchen, home office, and covered outdoor spaces flanking a swimming pool.

The Owners were receptive to a modern design approach, but requested warmth, texture, and a composition of materials that evoked a connection to the natural surroundings. The resulting exterior palette is composed of weathered fieldstone, stained cedar, cut limestone, reclaimed oak timbers, unpainted stucco, and zinc cladding. The interior palette consists of wide plank flooring; stucco, plaster, and sheetrock walls; and a continuation of the stacked stone employed on the exterior.

The house is organized around a pair of parallel stone walls that begin diminutively in the landscape and increase in scale as they pass through the house before stepping down again into the landscape beyond. The stone walls become the thresholds between different zones of the house, with the most public entertaining areas located between the walls, the guest wing to the west of center, and the family areas to the east. Within the family area, a children's bedroom wing bridges to the north over carport space, while the master bedroom area projects south and east at tree top level.

The architectural form is a composition of vertical and horizontal planes of varying materials. Stone walls and terraces are expressed as heavy and substantial; while roof planes, and zinc-clad structure and timber beams express their lightness as they pass in and out of the house. Space between is filled with large expanses of glazing, allowing ample views of the landscape.

Type of Construction:

The structural system consists of load-bearing masonry & concrete walls, and steel frame with wood frame infill. Additionally, a geo-thermal mechanical system was used. "Smart house" controls technology integrates the various electronic systems including power, lighting, security, and audio-visual.

Images 1-10 © Rion Rizzo, Creative Sources Photography
Image 11 and this page © James E. Choate