Putnam Cabin
Putnam County, New York
Forty acres of wooded hilltop. One cabin. Fronted by a glacial lake. This two-storey, pre-depression 1920s structure has charm built in. Andrés Cortés was brought in to extend its potential whilst maintaining its roots. New structural and mechanical systems extended the possibilities of cabin living. It went from a two-season space to one in which every changing season can be fully appreciated — the frozen stillness of winter as legible as the warmth of summer.
DATE
2023
TYPE
Private Homes
SERVICES
Architecture Structural Engineering Enclosure Engineering
The cabin is accessed by climbing and scrambling down a rugged forest road, trees and fern species flanking either side. It sits within 1,000 acres of protected land owned by the Hudson Highlands Land Trust.
Such surroundings deserve a structure that connects inside and outside at every opportunity. The upper storey is constructed with petroleum-rubbed American chestnut logs from the four-acre parcel. A schist rubble wall foundation grounds the lower level.
The work preserved the soul of the existing structure whilst increasing its volume. A glass wall looks over the lake, amplifying the square footage and flooding the space with natural light. You feel even closer to the crisp air, the rustling forest, the pristine glacial lake.
The clumsily carved rooms on the upper floor almost feel they've grown with the forest. That endearing sense of organic evolution was continued — yet a modern lakeside retreat was created within it. A wood-burning fireplace, exposed concrete walls, and steel hangers all make their place in this wonder in the woods.
