This four-bedroom, five-bathroom, three-level family residence sits atop a ridge overlooking ranches, pastures and mountains of upstate New York on a pristine 120-acre property. Amalgam Studio, the Manhattan-based architecture firm who brought this home to life, drew design cues from traditional barns nearby; with a long, rectangular presence, the home features timber framing and is topped with a gabled roof. The adjacent carriage house comprises a three-car garage and a workshop, with a loft space upstairs.
Exterior walls are rainscreen-cladded with Kebony modified wood. Kebony was also used for the structure’s roof and was left unsealed in its natural state to take on a grey patina overtime. The cladding—which includes tilting sunshades that double as hurricane shutters on the windows—was attached using a unique, innovative clip system to the standing seams of roof sheathing, the first such installation in North America. As the same Kebony was used throughout the entire building envelope, it gives the house a monolithic—yet still very modern—appearance.
“I created a surprisingly complex matrix of various options for the rainscreen material based on price, availability, sustainability, aesthetics and constructability,” Amalgam design principal Ben Albury said. “Kebony’s distributor, Pine River Group, had more expertise than anyone else in this regard, so they proved helpful in providing guidance. Interestingly, in high snowfall accumulation on the rooftop, we’ve found the house performs better due to the insulative nature of the snow.”