Located in a barnyard of a working farm in Dutchess County, New York, the Morse Hill Residence is designed to comply with the covenants governing dwelling structures in this historic area. The program includes a "main house" for an adult couple with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, dining, kitchen and living room. A "small house" for the mother of one of the "main house" inhabitants is set adjacent to the primary structure and includes a living/dining area, kitchen, bed and bath.
Food preparation and presentation is a major activity for the family and is celebrated by making the dining room the spatial focus of the main house, flanked by two wood-clad service volumes containing bathrooms, stairs and storage closets.
By concentrating program into the free-standing volumes, a quasi free-plan arrangement is created that defines individual rooms while allowing spatial continuity and long views through the house. The exterior painted lapped siding is designed to function as a rain screen. Vertical trim allows the siding to be used in single lengths and provides a modular articulation to the exterior wall. Drywall located on the interior surface of exterior walls is attached to horizontal furring strips to reduce thermal bridging helping to create an effective R vale of 24 and allowing the free placement of large aluminum-framed window units on the exterior wall. Large roll-up awnings are located around the house creating "seasonal porches" that extend activities to the exterior during the summer months.
