'putney house' by kyu sung woo architects
all images courtesy kyu sung woo architects

kyu sung woo was recently awarded the ho-am prize in the arts, in korea.
he is the first architect to ever win this prestigious award. 

one of his recent projects includes kyu sung's home in vermont - 'putney house'.
which was completed in 2008.

situated on the south and west facing slopes of putney mountain, vermont this
house engages the landscape and reinterprets the simple volumes of vermont rural
architecture. three clearings in the forest punctuate the long gravel driveway and
provide views of meadow, pond and house. in the final clearing, the house is broken
into three volumes arrayed around a large rock outcropping with open spaces that
frame vistas of the green mountains. the volumes follow the contours of the slope
stepping up the hill to engage the site while a planned addition continues the sweep
of the volumes along the slope.

each volume has a distinct programmatic function: a shed volume serves as a workshop
and storage outbuilding, and two connected volumes form the main living quarters
of the house: one volume serves as private family living space and the other serves
as a public studio and meditation space.

in keeping with the sensitive and isolated site, the house is off the grid with
roofmounted photo voltaic panels providing electricity. thick walls are encapsulated
by high performance insulation and staggered wood stud construction minimizes thermal
bridging to the interior in the winter months. large aluminum windows admit abundant
natural light to counteract vermont’s short winter days while overhangs provide
summer shading. wood stoves fueled with felled trees from the site are supplemented
by radiant heat floors.