Terrapin

Woodstock, Vermont

Architect

Birdseye

Builder

Birdseye

Landscape

Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture

Interior

Brooke Michelsen Design

Photography

Michael Moran
Daniel J. Cardon

Completed

2022

Type

Single-family Residence

Recognition

2022 AIA VT Honor Award

2023 The Cedar Book XVI
2023 Architectural Record – Featured Houses

A family vacation home named for the Grateful Dead’s song Terrapin Station about a “metaphoric oasis whether that be a higher state of consciousness or an escape from the banalities of reality.”

Architecture

Layered horizontal forms stretch across a linear retaining wall and are elevated by pilotis, both nestling the home into the hillside and allowing for distant valley views.

Interiors

The interior of the house draws in the architectural palette of the exterior. Ceilings cross vertical planes of glass and walls move from outside to inside, expressing the common material and finish.

Inspiration

“Inspiration, move me brightly, light the song with sense and color / Hold away despair, more than this I will not ask / Faced with mysteries dark and vast, statements just seem vain at last / Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to Terrapin” – Grateful Dead, Terrapin Station

The project program includes a 2-car garage, mudroom, powder room, laundry, living room, kitchen, screened porch, office, exercise room, 5 bedrooms, and a bunk room for grandchildren. Exterior features include a living room deck, primary suite deck, firepit and hot tub.

AIA FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE The project design and construction capture the primary principals of the framework for design excellence. The integration of the architecture into the landscape connects the living experience to the context, elevating the overall connection to the environment. The project design team fully collaborated with the building team throughout the construction process creating a more wholistic experience. All landscape plantings are native and do not require watering. Rain capture for the project is all directed through roof collection boxes and downspouts. Water capture and erosion control is mitigated through a perimeter washed stone belt that receives the runoff. The exterior material palette of western red cedar is the predominant siding finish of the house creating typical details that enhance efficiency. Terrapin is designed for a healthy indoor experience, implementing strategies such as a fresh air exchanger, operable windows, low VOC finishes, and filtered drinking water. The project HVAC is an electric based heat pump system that is supported by a 15kw ground mounted photo voltaic array. The building envelope is thermally broken. R40 walls and R60 roofs/floors with triple pane window units contribute to a highly efficient building. The project is designed and built to be resilient and capable of sustaining extreme weather situations and fully operational with a power failure. The home is accessible through a deck gate and removeable ramp.

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