- 2026 Pioneer Prize
- From Residential Architecture
Forest Edge House
Project Description
The Forest Edge house is the fifth solar powered house built by Edifice Upstate in the West Catskills of New York State. The house is designed by award-winning architect and designer Marc Thorpe. The house is a 1500 sqft two story, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and is fully furnished by iconic French design house Ligne Roset. Nested on a 3 acre parcel of forest, the house is clad in FSC certified natural pine, boasts full floor radiant heating, an open living, kitchen and dining plan and a 25’ cantilevered steel deck reaching into the canopy of the surrounding tree line. The house is powered by 24 Monocrystalline solar panels on a 15K Sol-Ark inverter and Lithium Ion LifePo battery bank generating 38kwh of daily electricity.
Situated on a soft slope within the forested mountains of the western Catskills, the Forest Edge reflects a belief in individuality and self-reliance. Formally, the architecture is an exercise in descriptive function, taking inspiration from the surrounding rural agrarian vernacular of the Catskills. Forest Edge is not just a house, it is an opportunity to take back our autonomy. The architecture is an internalized place defined by the harmony of our existence with nature. In this sense, architecture becomes timeless. The work transcends the physical realm to become part of us, holistic, balanced and eternal. This architecture is systemically connected to the environment through ecologically sustainable technology and infrastructure, self-sustaining and independent. Forest Edge is an architecture of responsibility and respect for our environment and ourselves.
Marc Thorpe earned a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Maryland, followed in by a Masters Degree in Architecture, with Honors, from Parsons School of Design in New York. Thorpe was awarded the Scholastic Award for Scholarly Pursuit by the American Institute of Architects and the American Architectural Foundation and received the Alpha Rho Chi medal for architectural leadership and professional excellence. He was awarded the Good Design Award and the American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts
In 2010, Thorpe established New York-based Marc Thorpe Design, as an architectural and design studio. He has worked extensively in Europe, Asia and the US as an architect and designer, and continues to collaborate on projects with a wide range of partners. He has taught in the Architecture Department at Parsons School of Design and the Industrial Design Department of Pratt Institute in New York City.
Thorpe has been published internationally in design journals and texts including Wallpaper*, Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, Viewpoint, Surface, Interni, Frame, Domus and Interior Design to name a few. Thorpe was selected for inclusion in the text Ultimate New York Design, highlighting 50 of New York City’s top design talents and is one of the youngest signature designers for Italian design house Moroso. He was selected as the feature cover story for international design magazine Intramuros. His firm, Marc Thorpe Design (MTD) has worked with leading international brands including LVMH, Mercedes Benz, Under Armour, Stella Artois, Saatchi & Saatchi, Hearst, Cappellini, Tod’s, Acura, David Yurman, L’Oreal, Esquire, Moroso, Venini, Casamania, Davidoff, Infiniti and many more.
Marc Thorpe Design _ Established 2010
Marc Thorpe Design was founded in 2010 by architect and industrial designer Marc Thorpe. Thorpe is known internationally for his innovative and dynamic work, taking a rigorous approach to the integration of architecture, design and hand craftsmanship. The studio conceptualizes design while embracing process and has the resources to produce consistent communication platforms. These include architecture, interior design, graphic design, furniture design, product design, retail and exhibit design.
The studio designs relationships. The focus of Marc Thorpe Design is in the systemic intersections a project presents. In order to discover a project’s potential, the studio works closely with clients and collaborators to foster new ideas, establish common vision and innovative strategies of approach to nurture the design process. The results are design solutions with the highest degree of precision, quality and character.
The studio offers itself as an open system of exchange. Thorpe has dedicated the studio to the research, professional practice and education of systems thinking through the discipline of architecture and design. Thorpe states, “We believe in a holistic design approach, which engages the social components of space and form.”
