Three Chimney House

2020 RADA Award Winner
Custom Home, More Than 3,000 Square Feet, Honorable Mention
Three Chimney House
Charlottesville, Va.
T.W. Ryan Architecture

Refined yet cozy, urbane yet unpretentious, the Three Chimney House from T.W. Ryan Architecture is a reinterpretation of America’s rural vernacular that’s full of surprises. Located only a few miles from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and perched on the lip of a steep slope, the house appears at first as a simple agglomeration of familiar forms, with its rough brick perimeter walls and pitched rooflines punctuated by a trio of chimneys. But upon closer inspection, anomalies begin to emerge: A recessed aperture is set into the wall, and once inside, a visitor discovers a vestibule with portal skylights. The interior unfolds as a composition of striking planar complexity that is vaguely pinwheel in shape, with the sleeping quarters, a guest lodge, and service elements all projecting outwards from the central axis of the main living space.

In contrast to the blank front seen on approach, the house offers a more striking tableau from the opposite side, the wings clad dramatically in black and white and opening up around a central lawn and patio. The chimneys serve multiple purposes, both helping to organize interior spaces and acting almost as flags—unmistakable markers that jut out of the landscape. With references that range from Monticello to Mies, the house is a seductive fusion of disparate elements, executed with consummate assurance.

PROJECT CREDITS
Project: Three Chimney House, Charlottesville, Va,
Client/Owner: Cassie and Carrington Guy
Architect: T.W. Ryan Architecture, New York. Thomas Ryan, AIA (principal), Mitchell Price (project team)
General Contractor: Evergreen Builders
Size in Square Feet: 5,800
Cost: Withheld

MATERIALS AND SOURCES
Appliances: Sub Zero, Lacanche (range)
Bathroom Fixtures: Vola, Toto, Kaldewei
Cabinets: Vaneri Studio Millwork
Countertops: Soapstone, Marble
Exterior Wall Systems: Zip System
Kitchen fixtures: Vola, Toto, Blanco
Lighting Control Systems: Lutron, Forbes and Lomax
Lighting: Lindsy Adelman, Lambert et Fils, Allied Maker, RSA (Downlights), BK Lighting (Exterior)
Masonry and Stone: Old Texas Brick, Natural Slate (Flooring)
Metal: Natural Copper
Paints and Finishes: Benjamin Moore, Farrow and Ball
Roofing: Standing Seam Copper
Windows and Doors: Loewen