Studio Becker Xu revises dogtrot model for North Carolina house

Chicago-based Studio Becker Xu has separated a vernacular dogtrot house to create a set of concrete pavilion-like blocks capped with a pine gable to form a house in North Carolina.

Known as the Dogtrot House, the 3200-square foot (300-square metre) residence sits on a 10-acre site in Hillsborough, outside of Raleigh-Durham, that is densely wooded with oak, sweet gum, maple and persimmon trees and overlooks a pond.

Completed in 2023, the house prioritizes seamless indoor-outdoor living and pays tribute to a traditional southern dogtrot, which typically feature two enclosed living areas connected with a covered breezeway.

"This format reflects a connection with the outdoors, which, in the past, was synonymous with life in the region," Studio Becker Xu said. ​"The clients' desire to be surrounded by both family and nature in their home called for a new adaptation of this once-ubiquitous typology, expanding and reframing the idea of outdoor living."

The exterior is a conglomeration of board-formed concrete, polished architectural concrete masonry units, light-toned fiber cement panels, and floor-to-ceiling glazing, notched together in geometric blocks.

A dark standing-seam metal roof rises into a steep gable and thin red, circular columns add asymmetrical pops of color around the exterior.

Inside, the two blocks of the dogtrot have been split in half to form four pavilions that each house a separate function and open views in four directions.

The traditional gable became a 100-foot-long (30 metres), double-height corridor with a 20-foot (6 metres) cathedral ceiling, clad in warm laminated Southern pine, and sliding glazed walls at both ends that can open to become a long covered porch.

The gabled ends extend beyond the front and back walls of the house to form shaded porches on either end. On one end of the house, a board-formed concrete wall extends beyond the porch and curves outward toward the forest.

The central corridor serves as "the hearth of the home [and was] engineered by designing the flat roofs as diaphragms to resist the horizontal thrust from the gable roof, with the loft platform at the center tying it all together".

In the centre of the corridor, a volume combines a lightweight, folded blackened steel staircase, a powder room, a fireplace, and a 10-foot-long piece of custom millwork that can be used as a home office.

The wooden ceiling and white walls are juxtaposed by dark earthen tiles and a heavy board-formed half-wall that curves from the entrance into the central space.

"The curved concrete arcs and red columns offer a loose framework for a variety of tableaus – indoor & outdoor seating, family entertainment area, and playscape for the children."

The four pavilions – a primary suite, children's rooms with a jack-and-jill bathroom, a living room, and the kitchen – each encounter nature with framed views to the outdoors.

The dining room – featuring a reclaimed red oak dining table – is formed by a small bump-out from the centre of the corridor. A circular window breaks the orthogonal design but references the curved walls.
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The floating staircase leads up to a loft with a blocky dormer featuring a square window that sits directly above the porthole in the dining room.

“One's spatial experience of the home is fluid, moving around and amongst architectural elements like columns, walls and volumes that feel as if they are scattered across the natural landscape, rather than in and out of enclosed rooms," co-founder Sharon Xu said.

"Walking around the exterior, each elevation is unique, creating a similarly fluid and dynamic experience of nature and architecture together in the round.”

Other homes recently completed in North Carolina include a house constructed with compressed perennial grass panels by DR Horton and Plantd and an energy-efficient home inspired by agrarian barns by Harding Huebner.

The photography is by Keith Isaacs.

Project credits:

Architect: Studio Becker Xu
Contractor: BuildSense
Structural engineer: Lysaght & Associates
Metal fabricator: Leo Gaev Metalworks
Custom woodwork: Xylem

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