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Project posted by Kim Weiss

Carrboro Hillside House

View 9 Photos
Location
Carrboro, North Carolina
Year
2019
Structure
House (Single Residence)
Style
Modern
The rear elevation. Notice how the upper level is embedded into the hillside.
The rear elevation. Notice how the upper level is embedded into the hillside.
The house's climb up the natural topography concludes with a "back porch."
The house's climb up the natural topography concludes with a "back porch."
Viewed from the creek, the fenestration marks interior volumes. L-R: The main Living volume; the middle Working volume; and the Sleeping volume.
Viewed from the creek, the fenestration marks interior volumes. L-R: The main Living volume; the middle Working volume; and the Sleeping volume.
Looking down into the kitchen/dining/living space. Natural light fills the space through the huge window.
Looking down into the kitchen/dining/living space. Natural light fills the space through the huge window.
Another large window in front of the kitchen sink frames a view of the old barn on the property that will soon become offices for pod architecture + design.
Another large window in front of the kitchen sink frames a view of the old barn on the property that will soon become offices for pod architecture + design.
Partners in life and work, Youn and Doug enjoy their new kitchen.
Partners in life and work, Youn and Doug enjoy their new kitchen.
As intended, Carrboro Hillside House is a quiet presence in its context.
As intended, Carrboro Hillside House is a quiet presence in its context.
Diagram of the three masses, or volumes, of this unique house.
Diagram of the three masses, or volumes, of this unique house.

Details

Square Feet
2500
Lot Size
1.2 acres
Bedrooms
3
Full Baths
3

Credits

Posted by
Architect
pod architecture + design
Interior Design
pod architecture + design
Builder
Newphire Building
Photographer
Cornell Watson for Chapel Hill Magazine
Youn Choi for pod architecture + design
Publications
Chapel Hill Magazine
The Wall Street Journal

From Kim Weiss

The project is a new 2500-square-foot home for pod a+d’s partners in work and life, Youn Choi and Doug Pierson, and their two children. Their 1.2-acre lot is in a 12-acre preserved wooded area adjacent to a flood plain with a year-round 100-foot creek setback, an oddly shaped buildable area, a steep hillside, and dense forest coverage.

The homeowners honored their challenging property by letting it suggest the house’s modern, minimal form. Composed of clean, clear lines and a refined material palette (black corrugated metal, glass, and polished concrete block), the architectural profile reflects the natural topography as it rises and twists its way up from the lowest creek-side level to the height of the hill. In the process, the form also reflects the spatial journey inside.

Committed to building the house as sustainably as possible, Choi and Pierson reused the Loblolly pine trees that had to be removed by having them milled locally and returned to the site as wall panels, casework, and flooring. Black accent walls are repurposed liner material from poured concrete forms. The floors on the lowest level are polished concrete with radiant heating supplied by the tankless water heater system underneath. And the polished concrete blocks used for the foundation and retaining walls are insulated from within.

Dramatic glazing frames views of the lush setting and allows natural light to flood the interior.

An old barn on the property will soon be recycled into new offices for pod architecture + design.