Location: Indianapolis

Site size: 12.9 acres

Project size: 3,500 square feet

Program: An Indiana family commissioned Deborah Berke Partners to design a house that would blend in with the local Midwestern landscape and celebrate the region’s legacy of modern architecture. The single-story, long, low volume sits atop a hill.

Solution: The driveway leading to the house winds through a thick wooded area, shielding the residence from view. The house’s horizontal planes contrast with the dramatic topography of the site. Tall sliding glass doors and large terraces connect the house with its pastoral surroundings. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls on the east and west sides of the house provide expansive views of the landscape through the changing seasons.

“The design of the house balances literal transparency—where the public rooms of the house connect to the expansive landscape beyond—with privacy, so each of the bedrooms has a view to the outside that is quite focused,” Deborah Berke, founder of the firm, says.

Construction and materials: The architects used a steel frame structure with zinc panels, mahogany doors and windows, and floors made of locally sourced limestone.

Additional Information

Total project cost: withheld

Completion date: December 2016