Nestled in its idyllic Massachusetts landscape, this house by Tom Kundig of the Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects was designed as a holiday retreat for a Boston-based family. It stands on an ecotone - the geographical location, where two different ecological systems meet - poetically marking the point where a forest becomes a meadow.
Take an interactive tour of Berkshire House
Making the most of its particular location, the house was designed to both look out towards the green nature around it, but also act as a refuge. The house is thin enough that both apsects of prospect and refuge can be experienced in every room. To combat any insect issues, large rolling screens drop down from the ceiling to the floor, when the windows are open to evoke a country house mainstay; the screened porch.
Kundig felt able to be creative and playful, since this is a second home. The main level of the house stands about ten feet above ground. In the living room, which features two walls of windows each 24 feet wide and 11 feet high, cranking a metal wheel allows the walls to slide completely open and suspend on cantilevered beams.
The same mechanism also appears in the master bedroom at the house's other end, which means that both flanks of the house can open almost completely to the environment.
The house stands on an ecotone - the geographical location where two different ecological systems meet
Kundig designed the house to be elevated, offering a vantage point for the owners to take in the views, but also make it appear protected
The structure poetically marks the point where a forest becomes a meadow and its outdoor areas help create this seamless connection
The main level of the house stands about ten feet above ground
A simple concrete entrance leads to the building’s main staircase that leads to the top, central living area, at the heart of the house
Glazing and openings around the main level make for a bright and open interior, fludded with nautral light
The house is thin enough that both prospect and refuge can be experienced in every room
Cranking a metal wheel allows the walls to slide completely open and suspend on cantilevered beams
The same mechanism also appears in the master bedroom at the house’s other end...
..which means that both flanks of the house can open almost completely to the environment
INFORMATION
For more information on Oslon Kundig visit the practice’s website
Photography: Benjamin Benschneider
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Los Angeles businesses regroup after the 2025 firesIn the third instalment of our Rebuilding LA series, we zoom in on Los Angeles businesses and the architecture and social fabric around them within the impacted Los Angeles neighbourhoods
-
‘Fall Guy’ director David Leitch takes us inside his breathtaking Los Angeles homeFor movie power couple David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, interior designer Vanessa Alexander crafts a home with the ultimate Hollywood ending
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campusThe Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplugThis woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architectureFranklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of natureWOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicateThe New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
-
Remembering architect David M Childs (1941-2025) and his New York skyline legacyDavid M Childs, a former chairman of architectural powerhouse SOM, has passed away. We celebrate his professional achievements
