32 DIGS.NET
| 5.20.2022
P R O F I L E | G O R T S C OT T
"'architectural expression of self'" via a design embodying "indi-
vidualism, tranquil strength, respect for nature, simple beauty,
privacy, and crucially, a 'hamonization of contradictions.'"
Boldness and simplicity, openness and enclosure, intimacy
and exposure, among them. In taking a chance on Gort Scott,
a younger architectural practice, the client's faith was rewarded
with a thoughtfully imagined, audaciously designed expression
of the landscape.
Rising from a series of landscaped levels, the project is
comprised of a six-bedroom house and a two-bedroom guest-
house, connected by an outdoor terrace. Constructed primarily
of concrete, with some timber cladding, the house fans out in
stepped levels meant to mirror the experience of navigating
mountainous terrain. Organized at the crest of the rock, the
fluid, light-filled living, kitchen, and dining spaces are the focal
points of the main residence and also act as points of entry onto
terraces overlooking the lake and bathing in a lovely evening
light. The upper level houses a bedroom wing that revels in
filtered morning light, and the top floor study, finally, soaks in
360-degree views. A cinema room, gym, wine room, utility and
service area make up the structure's subterranean spaces.
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"The experience of moving around the main house is likened to
the experience of walking up the hill to the crest of the rock prior
to the construction of the house," the practice notes. "Each room
and use within the house is strategically located according to
key views from and towards the site, solar orientation, natural
contours of the land, location of the surrounding trees and the
creation of a picturesque walk to and through the site."
In using the guest house to mark the entrance of the site, the
architects employed a detail influenced by "the tradition of small
gateway buildings used as a key part of the composition of large
houses by architects such as Luytens and Schinkel." Situated
at the lowest point of the site, this structure shares accesses
to the infinity pool with the main house, furthering the dialogue
between buildings.
