Project narrative: The Bedford Quarry House helps to restore, capitalizes on, and assimilates into the surrounding natural environment. A branching floor plan built into the site’s bedrock provides spectacular vistas of an abandoned quarry-turned-lake and the surrounding forest. This provides the clients with a sense of serenity and comfort. Compared to the previously-existing project on the property, the House’s energy-efficient insulation, reduced footprint, and improved rain-and-wastewater management reduces energy use and protects the forest and wetland ecosystem servicing the surrounding community. Examples of innovations addressing both client and environmental concerns include triple-glazed windows and a bio-retention-based septic system.
Project location: Bedford, New York
Firm name: Steven Harris Architects
Completion: 2021
Project type: Single Family Residence
Project information: New construction
Size: 6,900 sf
Certifications: HERS-rated
Client: private
Jury comments: The Bedford Quarry House feels as if it is a natural extension of its surroundings that simultaneously creates intimate spaces while feeling a part of a majestic landscape. It is a rare project that is able to achieve such a high level of design at scales both large and small. The site’s previous building sat on the quarry’s edge, but these safety and comfort concerns are well addressed by buffering the cliff-edge with a terrace.
Images/Photographer(s): Scott Frances
Landscape Architect: Rees Roberts and Partners
General Contractor: Berkshire Wilton Partners LLC
Project or Construction Manager: Berkshire Wilton Partners LLC
Interiors: Rees Roberts and Partners
Civil Engineer: Bibbo Associates
Structural: Ross Dalland Engineers, PC
Mechanical: Becht Engineering
Plumbing: Becht Engineering
Audio Visual: Audio Visual Systems
Consultants: Security Consultant: Electronic Security and Communications Corporation; Landscape Contractor: Morano Group; Energy: Integral Building + Design; Geotechnical Engineer: Geotechnical Engineering Options; Environmental: Stephen W. Coleman Environmental Consulting
