The rock in the surf, New York

The project 

Seven years ago, Wassmann and his wife began looking for land in upstate New York on which to build a home for themselves and their two children, Kiki and Lorenzo. When they were alerted to a lot for sale in a former quarry, the story began with the new wood-frame building in a class of its own. An impressive rock is the central element of the new family home. For Wassmann, the connection between people and nature is central, so the rock is not a nuisance. On the contrary: it is to become part of the new building.

The construction 

After in-depth study of the surrounding area followed the first sketches, in which the house integrated the boulder. This elegant solution hides complex geometries with many construction challenges. 

The challenge 

The widely cantilevered and curved roof is supported by only four columns. Using 3-D modeling in RFEM, the resulting forces are calculated.