Nature-inspired Residence Built Over A Pond

Not everyone gets to say their house is built over a pond. In fact, that’s what makes this residence so special. It was designed and built by studio Cutler Anderson Architects. The project was completed in 2013 and consisted of a main residence and a guest house. They occupy a piece of land that’s part of a vineyard and that had this overgrown artificial pond as the main feature.

The main house has a linear floor plan which stretches across this side of the pond like a bridge

The main access point is linked to a path through the forest

The pond became the central element around which this entire project is focused. The architects and the owner agreed that they wanted to make this place look special. They wanted to bring people and nature closer together and one of the ways in which this was done was by building the main house over the pond, sort of like a bridge on its North-facing side.

To enter the house one has to walk over a suspended bridge over the water

The South-facing side of the house is fully glazed and gets a panoramic view over the pond

The living area has a wood-burning fireplace and is part of an open plan volume

In order to reach the house one has to leave their car around 150 feet away and to take a walk through the forest. Only then they get to emerge from between the tall trees and to be mesmerized by the beautiful sight of the pond and the house suspended over it. This creates a unique and memorable experience. As for the building itself, both the residence and the guest house have sturdy steel frames and wooden roof structures as well as lots of openings and glazed surfaces which open them up towards the surroundings.