Project Name & Location:
Top Ridge Drive | The Reserve at Lake Keowee
Sunset, South Carolina
Type:
Custom Residential (New Construction)
Completed:
May, 2009
Architect:
LS3P | Neal Prince Studio
110 West North Street, Suite 300
Greenville, SC 209601
www.nealprincestudio.com
Contact:
Matt Tindall, AIA, NCARB, Green Associate
864.272.1214
matttindall@ls3p.com
AIA Component:
AIA South Carolina
Greenville Section - CRAN Greenville
http://www.aiagreenville.org/cran/
Contractor:
Sexton Griffith Custom Builders
123 Kiowa Lane
Piedmont, SC 29673
Interior Designer:
Cynthia Masters
Panageries
929 Rutherford Road
Greenville Sc 29609
Recognition:
Residential Design & Build Magazine (Design Excellence Award, Custom Home)
Residential Design & Build Magazine (Design Excellence Award, Niche Space)
Project Notes:
The home is located on a broad peninsula at Lake Keowee, SC that provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the lake and mountains beyond. Comprised of 9,895 square feet of conditioned space over three floors, the house offers ample indoor and outdoor areas for memorable family gatherings. Five bedroom suites, a game room, media room, observatory, and open great room and kitchen accommodate events of all sizes. A comfortable covered terrace, screened porch, and landscaped great lawn encourage outdoor living. Cedar wood shingle and natural stone provide a simple, natural material palette that plants the house firmly to the site.
Architect’s Commentary
The program for this home developed out of the client’s desire to entertain and accommodate their expanding family on multiple scales. The primary objective was to embrace the 300 degree view of the lake and surrounding mountains. The house would need to wrap around the peninsula in order to accommodate the sizeable program, fit within mandated setbacks, and frame the multiple views of the landscape.
The existing site features helped to establish an order for the home. Large open gathering spaces are located on the main floor towards the South where there is considerable outdoor space for overflow. A natural berm on the north end of the peninsula conceals muted spaces like the media room and single garage that require minimal to zero glazing. The home’s anchor, the observatory tower, was strategically positioned to take full advantage of the spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Northwest. Housed in the tower, in addition to the third floor observatory, is the game room and master bedroom. The concept of wrapping the house around the peninsula is reinforced by the tower, which acts as a hinge in the body of the house.
Generous terraces, decks, and purposefully designed glazing frame panoramic views of the landscape, with views of the water captured from every window. Additional outdoor elements, including stone retaining walls, a waterfall, spa, great lawn, and covered grill area provide for outdoor living and encourage a harmony with the natural surroundings. Indigenous materials and vernacular details reinforce the home’s relationship to the site, resulting in a home at peace with the landscape.