Broad Top House . Pennsylvania USA Located on 32 acres in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, the Broad Top house is built upon the existing foundation of American sculpture’s studio, Kenneth Campbell. In 2001, the property was purchased by his apprentice and sculpture Allen Linder and his wife Liza to continue the use of the studio while transforming the upper levels of the building into a new home and gallery. Marc Thorpe Design was asked to design the new home and gallery with a focus on capturing the views of the surrounding landscape while maintaining privacy from the adjacent road. The solution was to divide the house between introverted and extroverted zones through you use of materiality and space. The main façades of the house facing the road would remain austere utilizing reclaimed wood cladding while the more private faces of the home would open up with floor to ceiling glazing to offer views of the surrounding landscape. The interior program of the house is organized around a central core. The core functions as the hearth as well as the main utility component transitioning between the ground level and the upper level of house. On the ground level are the communal spaces such as living, dining, kitchen, art gallery and terrace overlooking the surrounding field and pond. The ground and upper levels are connected via a concrete spiral stair in the gallery that transition to a mezzanine. The mezzanine provides access to the two private bedrooms and second gallery space while opening an atrium space to the central living and kitchen on the ground level. Thorpe states, “the Broad Top house is a vision of architecture as living art. The synthesis of artist studio, art gallery and the traditional program of a home produce an inspired spirit of place while speaking with a local vernacular. Built upon the foundations of History, Culture, Art and Design are the walls of the Broad Top house.”
Broad Top House . Pennsylvania USA