RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY DETACHED, LESS THAN 2,500 SQUARE FEET
CATSKILLS HOUSE WHITE LAKE, NEW YORK SUBMITTED BY: J_SPY ARCHITECTURE Photo Credit: © Amanda Kirkpatrick
MERIT AWARD “The awkwardly lovable Garage House shows the potential for providing a family with an elevated design experience in a small house, even if the neighbors think it is just a garage. The simple exterior forms and crisp use of humble materials capture a series of wellproportioned and friendly spaces to support daily life.
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Originally named “Garage House” because the neighbors thought the client building a garage based on the concrete block, the Catskills House, located in White Lake, New York, is in reality, a super efficient small family home. J_spy Architecture believes strongly in making buildings that will last, one that future people will want to rehabilitate versus tear down. Using concrete block as the main material will allow this house to age like the brick townhouses of our cities, worth keeping. The windows are solid wood that add warmth to the space and each window opening is protected by an overhang to add to their longevity. These overhangs are also strategically placed as sun shading. The deepest overhang is on the South, and fully blocks the summer sun at noon, but still allows the winter sun to enter and warm up the concrete floor. When mechanical heating and cooling are needed, a super efficient geothermal heat pump was installed to provide radiant heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Although the house looks stand-offish from the outside, the plywood ceiling in the main space adds both volume and warmth. There is also purple felt behind the wood slats in the plywood ceiling to help with acoustics. Finally, with the size of the windows, the detail of the concrete block being both exterior and interior finish, and the concrete floor being continued with a patio, the main room feels like it is almost outside with sweeping views of the property.