Patrick Farley Architect

More from the recent Fay Jones immersion…seems apropos this took ‘til Earth Day to pull together, being an edifice the architect referred to as - extending the “frozen music” theme - “an instrument nature can play on”. Referential of Thorncrown and often stoking debates around which is more beautiful, for me such a lyrical design expression so befitting its place & purpose speaks to the notion that reverence for Nature and a “higher power” can be one and the same…

Finally. Been on the architectural bucket list since my schoolin’ days. In the vein of Fallingwater, site-responsive, biophilic design par excellence…Thorncrown Chapel by Fay Jones (1980), perhaps FLW’s best known former apprentice and who was awarded the AIA Gold medal in 1990 (had the honor of spending a few minutes with him after a lecture @ UVa not long afterward). Ranked 4th on the AIA’s list of top buildings of the 20th C, a sacred place made of native stone, glass and off-the-shelf wood assemblies (mostly 2x components). Goethe was right…and this masterwork makes for one of the most beautiful pieces of “music” ever composed ❤️

I don’t do skyscrapers (in fact, quite the opposite!), but most of my work interfaces with vital bird habitat…and I live/practice near a major flyway. I’ve erred out of ignorance in the past, but have been gently putting my foot down on this issue in recent years, particularly given the many options on the market nowadays. I did so less ‘gently’ on PVC decades ago, but now see this issue as more urgent!

It’s Not That Hard to Stop Birds From Crashing Into Windows

Central Virginia folks (inclusive of RVa): PFA's website has long been in need of a refresh! Looking for like-minded small biz talent proficient in Webflow to help get this done ASAP, and then to remain in the fold to manage it. Please DM if you or someone you know fits this description - thanks!

OTB/current collab…another woodland homeplace channeling organic, natureful vibes…scale, texture & form drawing from rural vernacular across the upland coastal plane region, with a mod touch…stay tuned!

Recent pull from the deep archives, back when all I had was a Nikon 35 and a roll of B&W…circa ‘97, closing out my first year of private practice in the Blue Ridge of Va. Simplicity, frugality, high efficiency ruled the agenda…

Recycling day 🙂

A Couple Builds a Cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains for $150K To avoid taking on a loan, Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore rolled up their sleeves and DIYed as much as they could.

Blue Ridge deuces…From concept to schematics for a trail-loving family’s mountain homestead…an A-frame encampment inspired by tents about a fire circle (actually, a hexagon) and just a hop-and-skip off the A.T.

At home in the modern world…but with trees ❤️

Progress...

UK builder says homeowners have moved into 25 new h**p houses The homes range in size from 102 sq. meters to 383 sq. meters, with prices ranging from £550,000 to £1.3 million.

In the beginning stages of setting up shop at the Rockfish Valley Community Center (stay tuned!), and an old, old sketchbook/journal saw the light of day for 1st time in many moons…which held this reflection on the reality I was feeling in my early 20’s.

My, how things have progressed in just over 3 decades (bearing in mind that my scribble-scratch predates the birth of the USGBC/LEED, FSC, etc)...though that fear has not abated!

Stunning captures! And this just happens to be a past project site 😉

A bit tardy in sharing this…a seasoned national publisher of coffee table books approached last summer, wanting to feature some past residential works (plus an “on the boards” project) in this deluxe edition. Just a few highlights here, but it’s apparently been on shelves @ the big boxes (and Amazon, I think) since April!

More Doah House…
5/25/18, on the heels of a pilgrimage to my original inspiration - FLW’s Fallingwater - I spent a night with my sketchbook on this serene mountainside of oaks, hickories, wildflowers, rhododendron, Laurel and ancient catoctin greenstone…the design response was a simple extension of the land form, channeling a modern A.T. hut vibe (the Trail passes thru within 1/4 mile of the place) ❤️
For more info: www.airbnb.com/h/doahhouse
Client/build photos by

A true labor of love, this natureful little retreat was years in the making and has just opened its doors to folks seeking a quiet Blue Ridge immersion ❤️ build by photos courtesy

It’s International Day of forests…my personal happy place of choice ❤️

Who better to reference than “he” himself:
“Come to the forest, for here is rest” - JM

For the people of UKR, with hope & love 🇺🇦 ❤️

It’s Fibonacci Day (get it? 11/23) 🤓

Natureful, mountainside retreat for easygoing design-savvy clients, with a nod to saltbox/bank barn vernacular in response to land form and rural Blue Ridge location. Stellar viewshed, broad southern exposure (yes, high performance/passive/sun-powered) and R&R lifestyle inform the primary layout. And as always, fun to dust off initial “off-the-desk” doodles relative final design direction. Primo renderings via ongoing collab with 💚

TBT…
This “extreme makeover” was born on the back of a napkin…second pic is original home ‘enveloped’ within a modernist wrapper (NOT a tear-down!), transforming it into a place more befitting a bluff along the mighty James River. Basically a vertical addition & gut-rehab/energy overhaul with bridge access to main floor - - so it’s an “over-under” not too unlike beach houses with secondary functions restricted to the ground plane.

Natureful architecture…

The Creek House in Sanger, California by Arthur Dyson Architects The Creek House is nestled amidst a wooded thicket of honeysuckles, cottonwoods and sycamores on over 6 acres near the base of the Sierras and Sequoia National Park,yet only 20 minutes from Fresno Yosemite airport. Designed by famed architect Arthur Dyson, this free form design is a stunning represe...

TBT…Carefully fit to a narrow lot, this home overlooks a lake in the City's most popular public park, which is bounded by a neighborhood well known for its eclectic architecture. Along a busy thoroughfare, the living spaces are elevated above the street while cantilevering nearly 10 feet, intensifying the experience and connections to the greenspace. The material palette comprises corrugated metal cladding, stucco, cypress and a roman blue-black brick that expresses an intentional departure from the traditional red brick that characterizes historic Richmond. Though subtle, the building's proportioning system harmonizes with the scale and mass of adjacent older homes. Very rough initial concept “doodles” included…

TBT … I have a thing for subtle symbolism & natural analogues in architecture. The “V” column’s first duty is to what became affectionately known as the “bigass beam” … it also supports the overarching metaphor of a “building like a tree”, with ‘forked’ trunk supporting the canopy (roof), which is harvesting the sun’s energy (photosynthesis) … its azimuth is east-west, but the altitude angle of each member approximates that of the summer solstice @ solar noon for this latitude (~76 deg) 🌎

TBT (2005-6)…
Founders Memorial w/Wintergreen Nature Foundation. Original design inspired by/based on a local favorite native, the Trillium, with form befitting its mountain context…the tripartite scheme was scaled-back but we held to celebrating another local native (and one of my favorite trees) - - made from 100% Black Locust.

TBT…big, long stretch between concept and proposal, from a previous life. Many moons ago, my team attempted a Living Building at a seemingly progressive west end RVa private school, comprising shipping containers, complete systems autonomy and ecology immersion. More conventional (“safe”) thinking ruled the day in the end, but we pulled out all the stops…

TBT…dusting off one from the 00’s
I often refer to “responsive” design that is consonant with nature…in this case, site access from street necessitated a footbridge, which threads a twin poplar and is supported by structure that mimics several nearby (note one deep in background, 1st pic). This was also my 1st (and only the 2nd in RVa) living roof, which was mostly about the birds 😉. Initial sketchbook doodles included for flavor…more @ https://www.patrickfarley.net/woodland-house

TBT…
~10 yrs ago, my first design-build gig & one of Va’s 1st LEED Platinum net-zero homes (and possibly its highest HERS rating @ -5, for the energy geeks)…a favorite detail, guard posts inspired by native grasses (i.e. spartina’s) that define the Lynnhaven wetland ecosystem. Also an homage to the original biophilic design movement, a little Art Nouveau is easy on the eyes & does the heart good ❤️

Starting again with those rough “doodles”…in the vein of “organic modern”, this one made it partially thru schematics before Covid put it on “pause” … for a very interesting client who truly “gets” the whole biophilia thing I tend to yammer on about. Also ended up at the front end of a spate of similarly special projects up the Blue Ridge from my NelCo base…so stay tuned 😉