Groundbreaking in Larchmont

Fire The double height gallery floods the living room with sunlight, while the double-sided fireplace warms the living and dining rooms.

Entry courtyard The home's entrance is located on an elevated courtyard. The courtyard is the byproduct of the terracing which both keeps the site fill-neutral and provides space to store massive storm-water retention tanks.

Living The light-filled living room enjoys exposures on three sides, a 20' high gallery, and a fouth exposure via the dining room.

Approach The main level of the house is marked by partially free-standing cedar louvers.

Dining room The formal dining room flows off the living room with a service hall leading to the kitchen

Parking The three-car garage and a small basement are carved into the granite hillside, with the auto court finished in grass-paving in order to reduce stormwater run-off.

Front view The site--plagued by steep slopes and granite bedrock just beneath the surface--required a creative approach. Through terracing, a central 'courtyard' was created to serve as the homes front yard. The entire site is engineered for agressive, bio-retention storm-water management.

Scheduled for groundbreaking in early March 2012, Larchmont will be the first of four LABhaus projects currently scheduled for construction in Westchester County, NY. Built by philaLAB, the 5BR/4Ba project is the product of a six-month collaboration with local engineers and building officials to arrive at a unique solution for the challenging site. The steep one-third acre lot is plagued by exposed or shallow granite bedrock, and an over-burdoned local storm water management system. Added to that, the steep slope and locaiton on a busy local thoroughfare meant that special attention had to be paid to providing for privacy from the road and child-friendly outdoor space.

The final site plan involves a complex terracing scheme, which achieves fill neutrality by using granite chipped onsite to form much of the retaining wall system. The scheme provides for several level areas for parking, outdoor living, and playspace for young children. The level areas also provide storage space for large rainwater rention tanks and drain fields. The permeter of the lot features engineered bioswales which provide for moderate flow of stormwater into the built-up retention system, from which it will slowly seap back into the lower portion of the site, which will feature hydrophylic plantings.

The house is centered around the middle terrace, which serves as semi-private courtyard.