The Park Hill home and studio is a single family residence with 1500 sf of living and 400 sf of studio space on a challenging site in Northampton. The client needed a change after the sudden unexpected death of her husband and wanted to build a net-zero home and studio. She has long been a letter press book maker of poetry and has expanded to art practice to mixed media work.

The design solution nestles the home into the hillside with orientation to the south to optimize for solar PV and views. The open carport at the lower level allows the house to appear to cantilevel out from the hillside. The entry at the lower level is bordered by a sloped retaining wall clad in a local stone that funnels towards the main entrance. From the lower entry, the stairs rise to a central garden court, an indoor/outdoor space with full glazing at both ends. The stone floor and exterior siding contribute to the garden court ebing an indoor/outdoor space separating the living area from the studio workspace. Within the studio, the ceiling rises and large windows look out to the Holyoke Range to the South East. High clerestory windows to the north and east ensure bountiful daylight. Entering the residential space, the guest suite and master bedroom suite bookend the main living space with high ceilings and a diagrid fir exposed structural framing. Built in casework walls provide the separation between the living space and bedrooms optimizing space and providing plenty of shelving for the client’s extensive library and record collection.

The project is currently under construction with an expected completion in winter of 2025/26.