Battenkill

Battenkill

Southern Vermont

Architecture

Birdseye

Building

Big Pine Builders, Inc.

Photography

Peter Murdock
Ivar Bastress

Completed

2018

Type

Single-family Residence

An art-forward home set on 120-acres alongside the Battenkill River, surrounded by lowland meadows and mountainside forests.

Architecture

Architecture

Built on an earthen plinth raised above the floodplain, a contemporary, rectangular, black-clad volume elevates two traditional, white-clapboard gables on the second floor above.

Built on an earthen plinth raised above the floodplain, a contemporary, rectangular, black-clad volume elevates two traditional, white-clapboard gables on the second floor above.

Interiors

Interiors

Spaces were designed to showcase the client’s extensive art collection. The sunken living room was designed as a viewing space for the art.

Spaces were designed to showcase the client’s extensive art collection. The sunken living room was designed as a viewing space for the art.

Inspiration

Inspiration

The project derives its architectural language from traditional New England building practices and proposes a contemporary vision for those vernacular forms.

The project derives its architectural language from traditional New England building practices and proposes a contemporary vision for those vernacular forms.

The planning of the house celebrates the three main features of the site: the Battenkill River, the open meadow, and the advancing forest (the Zen Den).

AIA FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Battenkill is constructed with a thermally broken envelope and insulated with closed-cell polyurethane with R-60 roofs and R-40 walls. A geothermal heating and cooling system are offset with a 15kw ground-mounted solar array. Meticulous air sealing detailing is reflected at all plate-to-foundation connections, window and door perimeters, and all wall penetrations. Fresh air exchange is mechanically delivered through a whole-house HRV system. Passive shading window slats are installed at south-facing windows on the first floor and are continued around the base as an architectural feature. The site was raised above the flood plain elevation, and the project incorporates resilient design through flood plain management.

3104 Huntington Road


Richmond, Vermont 05477

©2025

Birdseye

3104 Huntington Road


Richmond, Vermont 05477

©2025

Birdseye

3104 Huntington Road


Richmond, Vermont 05477

©2025

Birdseye