Providence House, Rhode Island Residence, RI Property, Building, Architect, Architecture

A New House on College Hill, Rhode Island : Providence Property

Rhode Island Residential Building design by Friedrich St.Florian Architects

Feb 22, 2012

Location: Providence, RI

Design: Friedrich St.Florian Architects

A New House on College Hill Providence

Photographs : Warren Jagger

Special Constraints

Conscious of view and transparency, the shiplap and cementboard-clad residence rests comfortably on a foundation of predetermined size. In disciplined modern vocabulary, the politely conservative front façade is a public face that provides privacy. The daring and completely glazed downhill side provides spectacular views of the Capital building and downtown skyline while simultaneously facilitating private open living.

Living area and dining area occupy the main floor and a master bedroom, study and pair of bathrooms are on the floor above. Below exist generous guest quarters, multipurpose exercise space, and mechanical room.

Special Constraints

Designed and built on a pre-existing foundation.

Sustainable design elements include high-efficiency mechanical system, appliances, and smart passive shading techniques. A focused effort was made to use low VOC paints and minimize the use of synthetic materials.

Exceeds universal design requirements for housing. An elevator connects all floors to wide passageways for all rooms. Bathrooms are fitted with roll in showers and appropriately mounted fixtures.

Unique Elements

A luminous LED lit stair tower is a modern sculpture that connects all three floors. A generous two story space over the dining area vertically connects living/dining/kitchen space to the master bedroom and bathroom above. Upper level showers including the steam bath feature frameless skylights.

Review

The following description is excerpted from a review in the Providence Journal by William Morgan.

The crisp and elegant new house on the western slope of College Hill is one of the most unabashedly modern statements seen in Providence in years. This spare composition brings real design confidence to a neighborhood that has struggled to find appropriate compatible styles.

Sheathed in white cedar and taupe-tinted cement board, the 3000 square foot house has two faces, both in a disciplined Modern vocabulary. There is the calm, public face with a two-car garage; only the brushed aluminum windows of a study on the second story suggest the private world behind the politely secure front.

The sidelight flanking the entrance door gives a teasing hint of the grand view beyond while suggesting the house’s truer transparent nature. The wood and the cement board contribute a strong horizontality, corners are unaccented, the roof appears flat: simplicity itself. But the fully glazed downhill side is more ebullient, recalling early 20th Century abstract art.

Style does not preclude practicality, and the interior plan is thoroughly sensible. A master bedroom, a study, and a pair of bathrooms make up the second floor, while there are guest quarters and an exercise room on the lower level.

But the heart of the house is the floor in between—an open piano nobile of living/dining/kitchen space, all sharing the spectacular panoramic view of the State House, downtown Providence, and westward to the setting sun. The precipitous drop toward Benefit Street elevates the living space so it feels like an aerie, a very private perch from which to view the world.

A New House on College Hill, Providence – Building Information

Client: Name withheld per Owner’s request
Architect: Friedrich St.Florian, FAIA
Project Architect / Manager: Anastasia Congdon
Support: Tim DeCoster
Friedrich St.Florian Architects, 146 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903

Structural Engineer: Wilbur Yoder
Contractor: Joseph M. Furtado, Inc

Photographer: Warren Jagger – Warren Jagger Photography, Inc.

A New House on College Hill has won acclaim in the form of an Honor Award by the RI chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as well as other awards and features in print publications.

A New House on College Hill images / information from Friedrich St.Florian Architects

Location: Providence, Rhode Island, USA

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