Amanda Martocchio Architecture

Amanda Martocchio Architecture

We were approached to help our client envision a family home sited high above the Hudson Valley at the edge of a mature woods and overlooking rolling meadows beyond. The land they acquired was personal and familiar to them from their childhood romps in the woods. They sought to conserve the forest and rehabilitate the grazing pastures, paddocks, and barns to establish a boarding operation for thoroughbred horses. Along with landscape architect, Stimson, we sought to settle the house among the mature oak trees and reduce its presence by dropping it into the hillside. Phase 2 will include a lower-level terrace, pergola, and pool and pool house. Each room within the house captures distinct views of the surrounding landscape with windows—both vertical slots and large framed openings-- all with concealed motorized shades.

Centuries-old stone walls from an Upstate NY farm were repurposed for the new site walls, house cladding, and fireplaces. A palette of grey/brown stone and stained mahogany siding transitions from inside to outside, connecting the house to the landscape. A two-sided glass gathering space looks out over the sole lawn “panel” on one side and the terrace overlooking the pasture below. Twelve-foot tall sliding doors part to create a twenty-four foot wide opening at the terrace. The house consists of a cantilevered bedroom and office and roofs that extend for sun shading on the south and west facades. Robust insulation and considerable thermal mass created by the stone walls, along with rainscreen detailing, contribute to this high-performance home.

This project is the realization of AMA’s long-held architectural goal of designing healthy and sustainable homes. In early discussions with our client, a couple who had spent their careers in healthcare, we settled on the following spatial organization for the new home: 1) an upper level living space perched over the sloping site with views of the harbor and the Long Island Sound beyond, and 2) a two-story interior space suited for nurturing a growing tree. This atrium at the core of the house would serve as a “living” environment for reflection and recuperation and would be experienced throughout the two levels of the house both visually and acoustically with the accompanying sound of the atrium’s fountain.

While the building form is bold, the interior spaces are quiet, multi-functional, and edited. The home is compact, consumes little energy and requires minimal ongoing maintenance given the application of durable, weather-resistant materials. The exterior wall assembly is rigorously detailed for ultimate thermal performance made possible with four inches of exterior insulation along with triple-glazed windows and doors. An array of rooftop photovoltaics combined with heat pumps contribute to near zero-carbon emissions. The durable and sustainable cladding products are panelized with open joints that meticulously weave around the exterior of the house. A deep roof overhang and balcony wrap the east and south facades and provide solar shading. Additionally, the large windows are covered with aluminum louvers that diffuse direct sunlight and provide textural interest on both the outside and inside.

Every inch of the compact sloping site is put to use. The dimensions of the atrium space spill out into the landscape, designed by JDDA, with an outdoor pergola and forecourt animated with organic and curvilinear shapes of a Zen-garden, including raked shells, a topiary tree and rock formations. The covered entry walkway is lined with vine-growing louvers continuing the integration of plant material throughout and around the house. The house is sited high above the road and recessed into the hill with a stone base. Stairs crisscross the slope leading up to the outdoor living spaces and the raised gardens.

Empty-nesters purchased a 1960s ranch, imagining its transformation into an innovative, light-filled, and efficient modern home where they would retire. They sought a simpler lifestyle, where they could inhabit a single floor, entertain informally, and experience the wooded and rocky landscape from within the home.

In addition to an open, bright, comfortable home with warm, beautifully crafted materials, they also wanted their rebuild to be environmentally sensitive, reusing the original foundation to the extent possible, and incorporating sustainable best practices.

We worked closely with the couple to develop a design solution that is simple, elegant, and modern, with floor to ceiling glazing along the rear, connecting interior living spaces to the landscape. Overhangs and clerestories were incorporated to ensure that spaces throughout the home would be light-filled and comfortable, which helped earn LEED certification.

The owners were committed to creating an elegant, cohesive home, and toward that end, they asked us to assist with interior design as well. A carefully curated collection of contemporary artwork and finely crafted furnishings infuse the home with richness and delight.

When a world class sailing champion approached us to design a Newport home for his family, with lodging for his sailing crew, we set out to create a clean, light-filled modern home that would integrate with the natural surroundings of the waterfront property, and respect the character of the historic district.

Our approach was to make the marine landscape an integral feature throughout the home. One hundred eighty degree views of the ocean from the top floors are the result of the pinwheel massing. The home is designed as an extension of the curvilinear approach to the property through the woods and reflects the gentle undulating waterline of the adjacent saltwater marsh. Floodplain regulations dictated that the primary occupied spaces be located significantly above grade; accordingly, we designed the first and second floors on a stone “plinth” above a walk-out basement with ample storage for sailing equipment. The curved stone base slopes to grade and houses the shallow entry stair, while the same stone clads the interior’s vertical core to the roof, along which the wood, glass and stainless steel stair ascends to the upper level.

One critical programmatic requirement was enough sleeping space for the sailing crew, and informal party spaces for the end of race-day gatherings. The private master suite is situated on one side of the public central volume, giving the homeowners views of approaching visitors. A “bedroom bar,” designed to accommodate a full house of guests, emerges from the other side of the central volume, and serves as a backdrop for the infinity pool and the cove beyond.

Also essential to the design process was ecological sensitivity and stewardship. The wetlands of the adjacent saltwater marsh were designed to be restored; an extensive geo-thermal heating and cooling system was implemented; low carbon footprint materials and permeable surfaces were used where possible. Native and non-invasive plant species were utilized in the landscape. The abundance of windows and glass railings maximize views of the landscape, and, in deference to the adjacent bird sanctuary, bird-friendly glazing was used throughout.

The house, while modern, comfortably blends in with the materials of the coastal vernacular and natural environment. The palette is warm throughout, with pre-weathered cedar on the outside and hickory floors on the interior. Aluminum-clad windows allow for durability in a hurricane zone, while the windows inside are finished in honey colored alder wood, recalling the finely crafted sailboat cabin.

We were tasked to design a significant renovation of a 1980’s home that was located at the high point of a magnificent and mature 4-acre property. The new owners sought to provide sleep-overs and large family gathering spaces for their three-generation family. The original house appeared tired and reflected a post-modern approach of competing decorative shapes, including a 3-story cylindrical turret and an oversized semi-circular window. The new design sought to simplify and integrate the diverse components into a cohesive whole. The turret was removed and two large extensions on either end of the house were added to the footprint, lengthening the central gable of this linear configuration. Windows were re-organized and replaced with mullioned casement windows. Large sliding doors framed views at opposite ends of the house. Natural light uplifted every space and is the connective tissue throughout the house. The aesthetic is edited and uncomplicated with an eye toward standard details. The light toned floor and cabinetry finishes evoke Scandinavian design.The large, cathedral ceiling of the combined kitchen and family space is made possible by a massive oak ridge beam. The triangular shape of the reimagined fireplace is clad in an asymmetrical porcelain surround. Two perpendicular window walls of the room frame wide views toward the pool terrace and the rolling hills beyond. These photos, taken at the height of fall foliage, capture the golden light that floods the interiors.

The couple who bought an outdated, century-old Darien home saw past its disjointed layout and style. They sought a comprehensive redesign that would enhance the home’s virtues – its waterfront views and ample natural light – with a coherent design vision to support their modern family lifestyle. Also critical was to moderate the extreme fluctuations in indoor air temperatures, to make a more comfortable and energy efficient home.

The wife is an expert chef, so the reconfigured floor plan gives the kitchen special prominence. It was moved to the heart of the home, merged with the family space, and linked to the outdoors with a wall of French doors that open onto a waterfront patio. We designed the interiors in conjunction with the architecture, commissioning custom silk rugs, light fixtures, window treatments, and specially fabricated furniture in colors and finishes to enhance the overall design. With careful consideration of color, texture, natural light and views in each space, we also assisted the owners in curating works of contemporary art that add interest and warmth to each interior environment.

The exterior, which retains the original massing, was redesigned according to green best practices, and has new windows, shingles siding, and a metal roof. We developed a comprehensive, phased master plan, including temporary living quarters, so the homeowners were able to occupy the home during construction.

An antique home, built originally in the late 1700s, had multiple renovations over the years. The front parlor of the home retained its original fireplace in addition to rough-hewn timber beams. A shed subsequently attached to the exterior wall stored wool sheared from the sheep kept by the current homeowners, along with a tight and underutilized pantry. The space was used by the family as a children’s playroom.

The objective for this renovation was localized: to combine the three discrete spaces into a single adult space for serving tea and for dining with friends and family with food prepared in the adjacent kitchen.

We chose to retain the 10” wide plank floors and knit together the disparate spaces with reclaimed antique flooring. The pine fireplace mantel and surround were lightened to reveal the grain, and a new custom blackened steel firebox was inserted into the original wood burning fireplace with a carbon-free bioethanol burner. The space was kept spare and light-filled, with a band of new windows that blended with the exterior of the home. A tea preparation area along the windows backs up to the serving island, all supported by ample cabinet storage and discrete appliances.

The room was designed with an art piece in mind: No. 1394 Louvre, 2024, by Rana Begum. The work is hung within a recessed niche and surrounded by a hidden light source that reflects the stone and mirrored finish of the louvers. Black glass shelves exhibit the owners’ collection of tea services, and around the corner is an alcove for the presentation of storied Californian wines. Evidence of the hand work required in the application of the plaster is subtle and luminous on the walls and ceiling. A painting by Mercedes Matter hangs at the front entrance door above a stone wall that reveals the century’s old practice of forming the masonry along with imbedded timber.

The farm table, sourced by the architects, anchors the tearoom and is whimsically lit from above by seventeen globes of the Kadur Drizzle chandelier. This intimate and edited space elevates the act of preparing and sharing the owner’s beloved tea offerings.

This project was conceived after the homeowners had owned their 1990s colonial for a decade. The couple and their three teenagers loved their neighborhood and views of the adjacent nature preserve, but were increasingly disenchanted by the house’s disjointed layout. They asked us to help transform their predictable spec house into a unique home of enduring value and family-centered design.

The existing footprint was expanded where it needed it most: in the family and kitchen area, creating a large square room with open views to a protected nature preserve abutting the property. An unexpected glass canopy and teak entry door are clues that what lies beyond is hardly commonplace. We designed the pared down, art-filled interiors with the goal of creating comfortable, purposeful living environments.

At the rear, the existing pool and rear deck are integrated into the overall building design, extending the living space outside as a screened-in porch, a dining terrace, and a seating area around a stone fire pit.

The objective of this award-winning Westchester renovation was to create a spatially dynamic, light-filled, and energy-efficient home with a strong connection to the Long Island Sound. Our client, recognizing the potential of the beautiful waterfront property, sought to transform the home into one with bright, open spaces better suited to her family’s contemporary lifestyle.

The design challenge involved rethinking the existing façade, improving the convoluted interior layout, and enriching each space with finely crafted materials. We were required to reuse the existing footprint, while raising the top of foundation walls to exceed new flood regulations. Innovative materials were used to produce an energy efficient thermal envelope and contemporary yet contextually appropriate facades.

With the goal of integrating the architectural and interior design, we selected furnishings that fulfilled the client’s functional needs while complementing the layout and scale of each space. While the overall palette of the interiors is understated and serene, each space has a uniquely curated composition of finishes, textures, and accent colors.

This residence received a Design Award Citation from the AIA of Westchester+Hudson Valley.

The design for this client’s “dream house on the water” capitalizes on every opportunity to incorporate views of the Long Island Sound within the home. The placement and expanse of the fir windows and sliding doors underscore the water’s proximity. The interior gathering space spills out onto the raised outdoor deck and lap pool overlooking the seawall. Reducing the house’s carbon footprint was another priority, accomplished by generating renewable energy on site. The precise angle of the house on the property is calculated for optimal solar energy production by the rooftop photovoltaic panels and a geothermal system installed under the driveway provides efficient heating and cooling for the house.

This residence received a Design Award Citation from the AIA of Westchester+Hudson Valley.

The site for this project was a Connecticut estate with a century-old house and axial, terraced lawns from the late 1800s. Rather than mimic the traditional style and detailing of the existing home, the homeowners wanted a pool area that would be unapologetically contemporary, yet still contextually appropriate.

The design goal of the 500 S.F. pool house was to make an interior room that merged with the outdoors, and to create a dialogue between old and new by providing a transparent corner oriented towards the main house. A variety of combined materials provide visual interest and textural contrast.

Time had stood still at this 1970s ranch in Armonk when the owners invited us to collaborate with them to transform it into a modern, light-filled home for their young family. The budget was lean, so economy was a primary consideration for every design decision. The challenge was to identify the modest home’s virtues – vaulted ceilings and a lovely backyard – and accentuate them by strategically optimizing available funds.

We were tasked with rectifying a dysfunctional interior stair, connecting to the outdoors with new large windows, and updating the exterior. We focused our attention on a finite set of architectural moves which would have the biggest impact and improve our clients’ daily experience of the home. Detailing was kept simple, using common grade materials and standard components. All exterior walls were revamped with new windows and siding. Although these materials were not particularly costly, thoughtful layout of boards, battens, and openings produced a cohesive, rigorous composition at each facade.

Since the budget would not cover the homeowners’ complete wish list, some items were bracketed for subsequent phases. The challenge was to establish a framework that would allow future work – including a new roof and kitchen renovation – to proceed smoothly.

The homeowners, both scientists, were enthusiastic collaborators, contributing their outstanding design sensibilities to selection of fixtures and finishes. Construction ended just in time for the arrival of their baby – and with that, the transformation of their family home was complete.

Located on a beautiful property with a legacy of architectural and landscape innovation, this mid-century guest house was originally designed by the offices of Eliot Noyes and Alan Goldberg. Due to its age and expanded use as an in-law dwelling for extended stays, the 1200 S.F. structure required a renovation and small addition. While one objective was to make the structure function independently of the main house with its own access road, garage, and entrance, another objective was to knit the guest house into the architectural fabric of the property. New window openings deliberately frame landscape and architectural elements on the site, while exterior finishes borrow from the material palette of the main house (cedar, zinc, field stone), bringing unity to the family compound. Inside, the use of lighter materials lends airiness to the simple, efficient spaces.

When we were asked to design a new home for a family on a beautiful hilltop site, our goal was to create a truly integrated indoor-outdoor living environment, with the exterior spaces functioning as an extension of the house, in support of the family’s casual, sports-oriented lifestyle. The design, for a family of seven, provides spaces for both individual privacy and large family gatherings.

Incorporated into the design are a number of sustainable features. The south-facing roof is integrated with a 5-kilowatt photovoltaic system, generating electricity for the home and furnishing emergency backup power. Radiant heating is used throughout, with high efficiency boilers burning biofuel.

The kitchen remodel is part of a larger renovation of an older home, with the goal of maintaining the original character on the outside, while introducing a contemporary, functionally-driven aesthetic inside. Structural modifications allow three individual rooms to be combined and for the kitchen to be connected to the outdoor patio with large sliding doors. Warm, natural materials with contrasting elements enrich the minimal space: blackened steel vs. white lacquer, smooth paneling vs. rough stone.

The design solution for this apartment, converted from a turn of the century warehouse, evokes its original industrial vernacular by using exposed and darkened steel girders, poured and polished concrete flooring, salvaged bricks, and exposed heating elements.The floor plan is open and loft-like. Layered lighting and shading devices along the perimeter wall provide privacy, solar control and a theatrical effect. A curvilinear steel stair complements the rectilinear plan. The finishes and furnishings are modern yet warm.

A suburban Greenwich home designed and built in the 1950’s, with an array of subsequent remodels, was in need of added and fully integrated space, plus functional upgrades - an ambitious program for a relatively tight budget. Our redesign honors the original modest structure of masonry block walls with deep roof overhangs, and unifies the piecemeal remodels accumulated over the years. New floor area over the garage is connected by a bridge, which frames views through the home to the Mianus River below.

“It takes a village!” is a true statement regarding the design and construction of a prototype for a rural health clinic in Las Lagunas, Boaco, Nicaragua.In fact, it took the active collaboration of members of this remote village; Clinica Verde,an NGO that delivers high quality medical care and health education focused on pregnant women; the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health; and our Connecticut-based architecture studio. As Architect, we were asked to create a “Puesto de Salud” prototype for providing compassionate healthcare in rural communities throughout Nicaragua, within an environmentally and socially sustainable framework. Las Lagunas was the first community where the prototype was built.

Our goal was to develop a replicable prototype, based on local building materials and methods, with details that could be adapted to each community. We met with Las Lagunas residents and listened to their input, which informed everything from programmatic layout to paint colors, bio-intensive community gardening, and incorporating local symbols into the puesto design.

Following a request from Boaco’s Department of Construction, we produced a video for the local construction team, in Spanish, on “green building,” which was central to our design approach.Also fundamental to the notion of sustainability was the village’s need for acquiring basic services, like water and sanitation. Given the current political unrest throughout Nicaragua, it is uncertain how or when further puestos will be built, but the success at Las Lagunas is evidenced by the nearly 100 weekly patient visits, and by the community regarding and caring for the puesto as their own.

This project received a Merit Design Award from AIA Connecticut.