Mountain House
2020 / Philadelphia, PA
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
This project situates three single-family attached rowhomes above a steep slope in Manayunk, a neighborhood in Philadelphia known for its extreme topography. The lushly vegetated sloping site inspired atmospheres of 70’s-era Hollywood Hills. Interiors feature flagstone-style floors in the split-level sunken living room, custom oak-paneled kitchen casework, and open riser stairs connecting living and sleeping levels.
FROM ROWHOUSE TO MOUNTAIN HOUSE
The sectional experience of the site transitions from the typical flat Philadelphia rowhouse context to a rugged, mountain-like landscape. The west-facing facade of Mountain House bends and shears in a jagged, craggy geometry, maximizing direction and variety of views, while creating unique experiences for residents in the resulting triangulated interior and exterior living spaces. Outside, the material palette expresses the project’s section, with exposed poured-in-place concrete foundations extending to the underside of the first floor, gray fiber cement lap siding facing the upper street, white corrugated metal highlighting the folded frontage, and warm natural wood lining inset decks. The resulting homes are open and airy – a fresh take on the classic Philly row.
IN THE FOLD
The building’s folded facade features carved decks at every level, creating opportunities for privacy and outdoor living. Large, operable windows amplify interior natural light and airflow, and exterior stairs replace pilot houses at the roof level, allowing for unobstructed skyline views from full-floor roofdecks.
STEEP SLOPE
Nearly half of the 5,200 SF lot was characterized by an undevelopable steep slope. The 7,000 SF massing for the 3-story, 4-bedroom homes (each 2,000 to 2,500 SF) was concentrated on the flat, upper portion of the site, cantilevering over the drop off. The building was dug into an existing elevated lawn at the top of the hill, situating basement-level entry doors and single-car garages off an access aisle leading to an upper side street.
