"Alvhem" means "river home" in Swedish and reflects the owners family heritage. The house overlooks the Corsica River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
The parti consists of a classic “L” shaped plan with one leg being a living pavilion the other being a garage. The two are connected by an enclosed bridge that is an office. The inside of the “L” is a parking court from which one enters the house across another bridge. Simple shed roofs help create a human scale on the entry side and a large viewing aperture on the river side.
The organizing element is a modern timber frame which is made up of southern pine glue-laminated timbers. The heavy wood frame allows for large amounts of infill glazing. Major material also include polished concrete floors, zinc standing seam roofing, corrugated aluminum siding, fiber cement siding and sandblasted concrete block.