Inspired in part by the famous Casa Malaparte, this house will be located on Lake Macleod in Pine Township. When we turned the building perpendicular to the water and to its McMansion neighbors, we disguised the building’s mass, minimized excavation, and clarified the circulation. Living in this house will be like inhabiting a pier. The wood floors and the rectangular-framed view window enhance the effect. Yet although the lake view is always present, less public views to either side are just as important.

Our intent is to be respectful of the natural environment: The house emerges like an excavation from the earth. The only cultivated site planting areas are on the roof, which visitors cross on their way to the front entry.

The home is not only earth-sheltered and heated/cooled with the assistance of geothermal wells, it is green throughout. We are fortunate to be working on the facade with Pittsburgh Ultra High Performance Concrete panel experts, “TAKTL”. The lake facade glass will be radiant heated with“Greenheatedglass”, a Kittanning, PA Frank Dlubak corporation.  The green roof is by Gary Lichtenfels at “Lichtenfels Nursery” in Johnstown, PA.  we designed the living wall in-house, which will be grown, installed, and maintained by “Plantscape Inc.” here in Pittsburgh.