HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK
Located along the picturesque Hudson River with expansive views of the rocky pine-oak-heath summit forest bluff is the Hudson Highlands Residence. The Hudson River is a tidal estuary ebbing and flowing with the ocean tide, revealing a biodiverse riparian habitat right on the site’s edge. Made evident through the exposed rock on the property, the site is located on the rugged and rocky terrain that characterizes the Hudson Highlands geology, which is generally characterized by pyrite, pyrrhotite, calcite, and Canada Hill granite. The design of the landscape features a gradient of spatial scales that create distinct experiences of intimacy and openness in relation to the river, the forest bluff, and the existing natural elements on site. Three categories distinguish various scales of these experiences: interpersonal/intimate, interpersonal/intermediate, and expansive/panoramic. These spatial scales create varying moments of perceiving the both the inward and outward landscapes.