Cliff Houses

Lexington, MA

Ryan Associates was tasked with the unique challenge of designing landscapes to suit a pair of homes built into a rocky hillside in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Many months of careful blasting and excavation and purposeful grading were followed by the strategic insertion of retaining walls and planting to create the seamless transition between the house, slope, and surrounding woodland.

The grades are so extreme that the back yards are reached through the fourth floors of the homes; with so much verticality, the outdoor spaces are crucial. They become outdoor rooms, extending the living spaces and allowing access to touch and feel the rock. This engagement takes what could be cold and off-putting and makes it home.

From bottom to top, the design takes its cue from what the excavation revealed. A trip up the driveway cut into the slope of the rock leads to the auto court bounded by an exposed rock and accentuated by a contrasting retaining wall and pockets of planting. Second-floor terraces off the family rooms access the stone mid-cliff, while at the top, stunning green roof terraces frame the views of the town to the southeast and provide the trill that reaching the great height delivers.

Architect: Marcus Gleysteen Architects Photos by: Marcus Gleysteen