Aviator’s Villa: Aerobatic Maneuver

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Architectural bureau Urban Office Architecture in Duchess County (NY) performed an unusual order of a retired pilot. He set the task to realize the swiftness of the aircraft in the original architectural forms of a farmhouse. Architects Wamaris Rosario and Morteza Ramezani went non-trivial way, and did not represent something like an airliner. They studied different phases of flight and corresponding positions of the plane in the sky.

Aviator’s Villa in Duchess County: Aerobatic Maneuver

Villa in Duchess County (NY, USA) by Urban Office Architecture

The result of the “aerial reconnaissance” was the idea of building a house in one of aerobatic maneuvers – the so-called “battle turn”.

The building was designed along the “east-west”. There is a lake from the north and a spacious swimming pool built from the south. It would be strange if the house of the aviator would be thoroughly dug into the ground. On the contrary, it literally hovers above the ground, visually touching the ground by staircase reminiscent of a ladder of an airliner. It is built on a small hill and stands on a half dozen piles.

Weightless glass bottom and top with a powerful flick of the glazed “wing” reiterate aviation style of the country house. The villa was built in neo-constructivism style with a distinct dividing of volumes by functionality.

The beautiful and contrast pattern of the crossed window casements is “read” as a dynamic element of decor. Faceted translucent structures on the east side of the building, enclosing the stairs, reminiscent of the early XX century constructivism. The window constructions are performed on frames with decorative rivets deliberately imitating panoramic glass flight deck of the past years. In such glazed construction the decigners needed to solve the problem of creating shadows in the rooms. That was accomplished by the use of perforated metal screens, mitigating sharp direct sunlight.

The building has three levels. The sequence of functional premises is subject to a strict order: active work area, living area and a private area of knowledge. On the first level there is an entrance hall, kitchen, utility rooms and swimming pool.

The second floor is occupied by bedrooms, shared family room, walk-in closets, bath and spa. Scale tape glazing admits the surrounding countryside, forest and almost boundless lake into the house.

The staircase leads down to a private library from the second floor. There are also collections of memorabilia of the pilot, the owner of the villa. Daylight enters the room not only through the side windows, but also through the glazed ceiling openings.

The architects used ceramics, natural stone, stainless steel, glossy plastic and wood for the interior finishing.