Nestled into ten acres of high Piedmont land overlooking Lake Hartwell, Holly Hill takes its name from the native American Hollies that punctuate this dramatic sloping site. Designed as a retirement residence for an architect and engineer whose passions for gardening and automotive restoration shaped the program. The home responds to both the natural landscape and the clients' distinct yet complementary lifestyles.
The residence comprises three distinct wings connected by transparent bridges that frame views while maintaining functional separation. The architect's wing opens to a formal master garden facing east, while the engineer's wing houses a full automotive workshop. Between them, a central living, dining, and activity wing serves as the social heart of the home. This tripartite organization maximizes privacy for individual pursuits while creating generous shared spaces for entertaining.
Configured like a radiator, the splayed wing arrangement increases exterior wall surface, optimizing cross-ventilation during temperate months and enhancing each wing's connection to surrounding views. The form nestles into existing site contours, minimizing environmental impact while maximizing panoramic lake vistas.
Holly Hill tracks LEED Silver certification through comprehensive passive and active strategies. Extensive eaves, sheltering porches, and high-albedo roofing significantly reduce solar heat gain in Georgia’s climate. Clerestories and solar tubes provide abundant natural daylighting, reducing daytime electrical loads.
Ground-source geothermal heat pumps paired with above-code insulation ensure minimal conditioning costs. All lighting utilizes LED fixtures. Material selections like Corten steel siding and exposed concrete foundation walls satisfy durability and low-maintenance requirements while contributing to the home's regional character.
Dramatic cantilevers allow both open and screened porches to project into the mature mixed hardwood canopy without disturbing root systems. Strategically positioned for varying solar conditions and seasonal use, these outdoor rooms extend the home's single-floor living into the landscape year-round.
The arrival sequence choreographs discovery: visitors catch glimpses of house and grounds through apertures in the concrete garden wall before parking. A carefully composed garden path features pavers, fountains, sculptures and plantings, drawing guests toward the residence. From this formal garden, views extend through and beneath the connecting bridges to the lake beyond, revealing the home's elegant integration of architecture, landscape, and water.
Holly Hill demonstrates how residential design can honor both site ecology and client individuality. The radiating wing configuration provides a fresh typological solution for balancing privacy with communal living, while the bridge connectors create threshold moments that heighten awareness of the surrounding landscape. By embedding sustainable strategies within a regionally appropriate material palette and sophisticated spatial organization, the project achieves environmental performance without aesthetic compromise.
2016
2025
Location: Lake Hartwell, Georgia, USA
Project Size: 3200sqft
Site Size: 1.9 acres
Principal Architect: Robert M. Cain
Project Architect: Carmen Stan
Builder: Owner Built
Fredrik Brauer
