Sugarview

“SUGARVIEW” is a southerly facing property in the Mad River Valley in the Green Mountains of Vermont with commanding views of the Sugarbush ski resort. The Cape Cod firm of David R. MacLean & Associates was hired by the Owners to develop a master plan over a seven year period for the sustainable development of this site including a Main House, Carriage House, Tractor Shed and Pump House.

The open plan of the residence faces south and west and is enclosed with Heat Mirror glazing, maintaining transparency and free movement onto a large cantilevered deck that floats above the landscape with unobstructed views to the horizon.

The interior is organized into two linear components which slide past each other and rest on the rocky ledge to integrate into the dramatic sloping topography.

The easterly component incorporates the private living spaces--bedrooms and bathrooms--which are linked to the public component featuring a spacious foyer and naturally illuminated atrium-like circulation spine.

The main stair within the circulation spine cantilevers from the custom fir and ash vertical core and leads to the master bedroom suite and cantilevered study on the second level. The main stair is representative of the sedimentary stone of the site. The study is accessed by a glass bridge from the master bedroom suite below the major ridgeline which moves through and looks down into the living room.

The main circulation route opens into the dining and living areas to either side of the centrally located kitchen.

The lower level is accessed by descending below the floating stair, symbolizing a cave-like entrance cut into the sedimentary rock of the mountain. On this level is housed the laundry/workroom, additional bath and family room which opens onto a private patio sheltered below the bedroom wing above.

Most interior spaces have direct access to the outside, taking full advantage of the views from every perspective. Locally sourced durable materials that will weather to a monochromatic silver gray and complement the Barre gray granite base of the building are used throughout. The steep gray standing seam metal roofs blend nicely with the local vernacular and shed the massive amounts of snow each winter.

The Carriage House was designed and built a few years before the Main Residence. It is a modern interpretation of the Vermont barn and served as a prototype for the compound. The living quarters are housed in one large volume within the gable which sits above the granite base growing out of the landscape.

The Tractor Shed and Pump House are the first structures one sees when driving up the long driveway. The Pump House is placed above a concrete water storage tank providing irrigation for the entire site. Although each building serves a different function, they all share the same architectural language with subtle differences.

We and the clients worked together over many years developing the Master Plan and implementing it on the site to fulfill our shared purpose to create an ecologically designed environment which fulfills our objectives of sustainable development to protect and preserve the natural landscape.