This residence on a 40-acre property in western Connecticut was sited and designed in response to four ordinal viewsheds: an unfolding scenic expanse to the west, a farm to the north, a forest to the east, and a meadow to the south.

The house, set into the slope of a hill, is organized into three wings of program which surround a courtyard that spills into the center. An existing stone wall at the forest’s edge implies a fourth wall of the courtyard. The site’s slope also allows the bedrooms to nestle into the grade at the east, while forming a promontory for the main living spaces to the west.

To mitigate construction risk, ledge mapping was performed and the house footprint was re-staked twice to ensure optimal views while minimizing the chance of encountering bedrock.