At Patriquin Architects, we believe architecture has the power to ground us. To forge connection — to site, to seasons, to self.
Perch & Hollow emerged from precisely that belief: a home designed to dissolve boundaries, one that retreats into the landscape even as it invites visitors in.
Concept & Context
Nestled on a dense, sloped woodland site in Connecticut, Perch & Hollow responds to both challenge and opportunity. The client wished for a house that felt hidden from the world, yet exuberantly alive within. Instead of fighting the steep grades and tree canopy, we leaned into them. We designed two distinct halves:
The Perch
A dramatic cantilevered upper volume that floats above, providing panoramic views and framed vistas through grand floor-to-ceiling glass.
The Hollow
The lower, more grounded portion — a restorative base immersed in the earth, offering quiet, sheltered living.
The Result
A home that is both lookout and refuge, an exhilarating sense of exposure above and an intimate breathing space below.
Design Strategies & Features
In keeping with Patriquin Architects’ ongoing explorations into light, material, structure, and sustainability, Perch & Hollow weaves together a number of design strategies:
Seamless indoor-outdoor connection
Expansive glazing in the Perch maximizes views and daylight. Motorized window systems allow the breezes and smells of the forest to flow into the interiors.
Green Roof & Low Impact Footprint
Rather than pushing the building into dominance, we lowered its profile from view, leveraging green roofing over buried portions to reduce visibility from the public realm and integrate with the woodland ecology.
Passive Solar, Natural Ventilation & Wellness
We orient the home to capture solar gain where appropriate, and to shade where needed — balancing light, heat, and comfort. Natural ventilation is integrated into the design so occupants feel attuned to outside weather and seasonal change. Other wellness-focused features, like a private sauna, were included to foster restorative experiences.
Materiality & Sustainability
Use of sustainable materials, careful detailing to reduce waste and maintenance, and strategies that encourage durability and connection to place.
Green Roof & Low-Impact Footprint
Rather than pushing the building into dominance, we lowered its profile from view, leveraging green roofing over buried portions to reduce visibility from the public realm and integrate with the woodland ecology.
Experience & Atmosphere
Perhaps most compelling is how Perch & Hollow feels when lived in. Imagine waking to filtered light through tree boughs, the scent of damp earth below, stepping out onto the Perch deck to enjoy a coffee in misty morning views. In the Hollow, cozy, grounded spaces offer respite; the mark of stone, timber, and glass remind you where you are. These contrasts — airy vs sheltered, outward vs inward — give the home its rhythm.
Challenges & Resolutions
Every project brings trade-offs; this one was no exception:
Cantilever & Structural Integration
Achieving the bold Perch required careful engineering: balancing structural loads, deflection limits, and ensuring thermal continuity at envelope transitions. Attention to detail was imperative in order to balance dream with reality.
Site Constraints
The sloped terrain, tree protection, and environmental sensitivity required thoughtful grading, minimizing excavation and retaining existing trees wherever feasible.
Visibility & Privacy
Aiming to make the house nearly invisible from the road, while still opening it up on the forest side, demanded careful massing, roofline design, and site planning.
What This Project Adds to Our Work
Perch & Hollow continues themes we care about deeply: daylighting, sustainability, wellness in architecture, and the interplay of inside/outside. It also pushes our practice further into integrating ecological humility: the house doesn’t dominate; it complements. It’s a different kind of statement — subtle, rooted, experiential.
Final Thoughts
Architecture is more than structure; it’s choreography: light, air, view, material, silence. Perch & Hollow is one such choreography — a dance between exposure and retreat, between forest and home. We hope it inspires those who seek not only to build, but to belong.
Project Team
Karin Patriquin · Paolo Campos · Jennifer Shea · Molly Straut
Photography by Ian Christmann