Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/4 | Page 142

Previous pages: Robert M Gurney
FAIA and Therese Baron Gurney
ASID created this rural retreat in
the Virginia countryside. The simple
form of the three pavilions is a
modern interpretation of traditional
farmhouses.
These pages: Whether inside or
out, a sense of transparency and
relationship to the landscape is
present. The minimal exterior
detailing and understated interior
enhance appreciation of the views.

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The architectural history of
Albemarle County, Virginia
stretches back over 200 years,
and comprises stately homes
in Charlottesville as well as
plantation-style farms in the
outlying rural areas.
This new home, deep in
the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, can be viewed as an
abstracted farmhouse, rooted
in the regional vernacular,
but unquestionably modern.

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Architect Robert M Gurney
says that the relationship of
the home to the landscape in
which it is situated informed
all aspects of the design.
“From the outside, it’s all
about how the simple form of
the house relates to the rolling pasture on one side, and
the woodland on the other.
You can see right through, so
there’s an unbroken visual
connection to the landscape.

“We oriented the house to
the southwest, which means
that sunlight c