Aston Martin Design and S3 Architecture’s Sylvan Rock reimagines residential luxury

Set to be the first fully realised property under Aston Martin's Automotive Galleries and Lairs service, which was launched in 2019, the Sylvan Rock marks a design collaboration and a “marriage of design sensibilities” that is second to none in the American real estate ecosystem. The service that is meant to design spaces specifically to showcase clients’ and patron’s most prized automobiles, collaborated with NYC and Rhinebeck-based luxury residential architects and builders S3 Architecture to design the first of such planned buildings that fuse architecture and mechanical design sensibilities.

Located only 90 minutes from Manhattan, the residence lies in a relatively rural landscape of 55 acres of land in Rhinebeck, and seeks to firmly embrace the site’s natural landscape. This design intent is clearly visible in the building’s adept use of natural material including its blackened cedar cladding and the jagged roof in folded panel mirroring the natural geological rock formation the building seems to emerge from. This, in particular, is claimed by the principal designers to be an effort to merge the built form with the landscape. "When designing, we always let the land speak first and respond to it," states S3 Architecture partner Christopher Dierig. "The roofline mimics the jagged edges of the rock ledge reaching down into the earth, as if the home is born of and launching from the landscape. The resulting design blends our modernist aesthetic with the privacy and context of the rural location to create a unique luxury experience,” adds Dierig.

The residence is to be reached via a 2000-feet winding driveway that cuts its way through the contours of the site and its historic rock walls and ridges, until the dramatic mass of the Sylvan Rock reveals itself, both as the residence and the rock formation it is built upon, its namesake. The luxury residential design aims to capitalise on the expansive 360 degree natural views that the site affords, with an array of floor-to-ceiling glazing lining up its exterior, further shaded by cantilevered masses continued from the roof line.

The entrance to the building leads one to the subterranean lair containing an automotive gallery garage, meant to house the most prized of cars on display, along with the more public spaces of the development, including a lounge, an executive office suite, a communal dining area where guests can join other guests for dining on meals prepared by produce from the on-site food garden, alongside a bespoke wine cellar, showcasing Aston Martin's signature cross-hatched lattice design and claimed to be any sommelier’s dream. The interior architecture and furnishing too bear Aston Martin’s signature scheme in leather, wood and metal for a seamlessly luxurious outlook and experience.

The private quarters and leisure spaces occupy the floors above, connected by a double height living space peering out from the fully glazed facades onto the pool and the rock ledge outside. Other communal spaces on the ground floor include a state-of-the-art kitchen with a monolithic island, multiple sinks, and integrated luxury Miele appliances, coupled with a den for some family time or relaxation. The indoors here seamlessly connect with the outdoor lounge, pool house, a wet bar and an outdoor dining area as a testament to its luxury and leisure statement. The floor also houses an on-property wellness facility with two private spa treatment rooms.

The second floor is host to the more private quarters of the property, consisting of the primary bedroom suite that the makers define as the pinnacle of the structure. Clad in glass, the primary suite extends as a cantilever to take in views of the Catskills mountains in the distance, complete with a respite space, also cantilevered, comprising of a wet bar with refreshments and late night nibbles, and a walk in closet. The residence consists of three more bedroom suites boasting of the same design aesthetic. Even the wet areas seek to indulge owners with a two person shower, double vanity, and soaking tub in the primary bathroom, completed in luxe material finishes.

Away from the main residence, the development also consists of a series of “pods” meant to house extended stay guests, while ensuring complete privacy in living for the owners of the house, regardless of who the guest is. Further, in the relatively forested confines of the site, a treehouse is designed for the leisure and unwinding for the guests. With their form and design mirroring that of the residence itself, they have been designed keeping multifarious uses in mind as the pods easily convert from sleeping quarters to a remote office, wellness room or a home school in the woods. The top of the pods is lined by clerestory windows intersecting the roof plane for expansive natural views of the nearby planned lake along which the pods are placed in an array of sorts. These units too come with an integrated kitchen and wet bar.

The property is exclusively listed with Corcoran Country Living and is set to break ground in early 2021, bearing a price tag of USD 7.7 million.