In the rolling Piedmont landscape of rural Goochland County, Virginia, the house is positioned to take advantage of a wide pond view with a U-Shaped plan defining an outdoor rear terrace. The design concept is inspired by the notion of a ruin that has been re-inhabited. On approach through the woods, the house first appears as a series of low horizontal walls. On the opposite side facing the pond and meadow, the house opens up vertically and reaches out to define private outdoor space. Exterior walls are comprised of two discrete systems: One of load bearing solid masonry cavity walls with dark gray manganese ironspot brick and smooth alabaster concrete block on the inside, and the other of wood framed walls clad in Corten steel.

Inspired by the visual power and monumental nature of ruins, two L-Shaped masonry walls are conceived as delineating fragments in the landscape which "bookend" wood framed corten clad walls. Where these two materials come together, glass or natural lime-based stucco is used to heighten the contrast of color, texture, and material. 

• Final Photography is forthcoming.