COLBERT COUNTY, ALABAMA
A complex of a new
3,000 square foot main house, a detached boathouse/storage building, and a
floating boat dock located on Bear Creek in Colbert County, AL.
The site is a wooded sloping one-acre lot facing the river.
The design concept sprang
directly from the site conditions. The
house was designed to be functional, site specific and responsive to its
rural residential architectural heritage.
The symmetrical plan,
organized about two central axes, defines spaces that flow freely through
the house. At the
intersection of these planning axes, the center of gravity of the
building, lies the stone fireplace. Clearly
the most dramatic spatial feature of the building, it is here that plan,
section and volume originate. The
living room and dining room face the water, while the adjacent triangular
reading room overlooks the decks and walks.
The front of the house, with its porch, reflects the scale and
character of the entrance; the rear, which is more open and volumetric,
frames views of the river.
Details express and enhance the design. The interiors include oak floors, glulam beams and wooden four-panel doors. The stone walls, stained board and batten siding, wood windows and shingle roof enhance the traditional forms.