RiverLedge FlatPak House

Culpeper, Virginia | 2005 | Residential

The Riverledge FlatPak House located near Castleton, VA was designed to perch quietly along a wooded ravine ledge and situate the inhabitants amongst panoramic views of the ravine and river below. 

On programmatic and aesthetic interests, the owner and Lazor/Office worked together to shape her vision of an ultra simple, minimalist, modern country retreat to unplug from hectic urban life; she as director of a DC architecture association, he as a wine maker. Living amongst nature and art were of primary interest.

River Ledge, like all FlatPak Houses was designed to frame the natural world, foregrounded by a simple, repetitive, grid based architecture. Working to build on the drama of the site, this FlatPak House is comprised of two opposing faces. Along the ledge top, as viewed upon arrival from a winding, half mile driveway journey, one settles upon a zen calm, rigorously repeating grid of deep blue, glossy aluminum panels, [chosen to reflect the trees] with punctuations of glass, then interrupted by a glass entry wall, which offers the first glimpses to the ravine beyond. Upon entry, full glass walls to the ravine side suspend you, tree house like, in the ravine cavity and amongst the tree canopy. Looking down, one discovers plunging views to the river below. An expansive wood deck pushes one further out into the ravine, like a thrust theatre stage, for long views up and down the ravine and river. 

The modest footprint lives large, providing a shared living space bracketed by two private pods: a solitary, quiet space for owner / guests and an owner’s bedroom suite. The pods are attached to the shared space via glass walled bridges, in concert offering carefully scaled spaces for both togetherness and secluded privacy. Walls are strategically organized around views and structural requirements for living simultaneously amongst artwork and nature. A minimalist design aesthetic sets the tone with a limited palette of carefully selected materials to imbue order and calm. Wide face long leaf maple floorboards ground the spaces amidst expansive glass, gallery white walls, select mahogany doors and a Boffi kitchen. A wood burning stove offers warmth amidst nature on chilly days.