Cluster
The three unit types are clustered together, connected by outdoor decking, boardwalks and amenity spaces.
Branch Berkeley Springs
Strategy
How do you develop 4 contiguous lots into a singular hospitality experience?
We crafted clusters of units that can be rented individually, booked out by a group, and are permitted as single residences.
The existing landscape drove the layout. Instead of forcing a flat "resort" plan, the buildings step with the slope, providing a unique experience from each unit and privacy between them.
See it on the map
Client
Branch
Location
Berkeley Springs, WV
Use Case
STR microhospitality
Type setting
11 units
Master Plan
The master plan is organized as a small set of clusters, not a single row of units. The road brings you in, then the site opens up into a few distinct pockets. Each pocket has its own feel, and each unit has a clear approach so arrivals don’t feel like you’re walking through someone else’s space.
Because the site is sloped, the foundations step down the hill and the buildings follow. That move does two things. It reduces the amount of “one big flat pad” work, and it gives the project a natural separation between units without relying on fences or distance.
Wellness moments are placed so they’re easy to find but not in the middle of everything. Guests can opt in. If you want quiet, you can stay quiet. If you want a little loop to your day, it’s there.
Site structure
Clustered clearings
Access
Simple arrival + short walks
Topography
Stepped foundations following grade
Experience
Private stays with optional shared moments
Axonometric View
Axonometric View
Axonometric View
Axonometric View
Unit Design
Branch needed a set of units that could serve different groups without making the project feel like a random mix. The solution was a small family of suites that share a common language, then let siting and outdoor space do the differentiating.
Every unit is designed around the same basic expectations: a comfortable main room, real light, a strong connection outside, and layouts that work for both a quick weekend and a longer stay. The differences are in scale and use case. Some suites are meant for couples. Some are meant for families. One is meant for groups that want to be together.
The result is a property where the experience changes by where you land on the site, not because the architecture is trying to perform.
Unit family
Multiple suite types under one design language
Siting
Each unit gets a clear threshold and outdoor space
Operations
Built for STR turnover and durability
Guest mix
Couples, families, and groups
Lower Level Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Upper Level Plan
Hideaway Suite
Hideaway is the smaller, more flexible unit — designed for short stays, quick resets, and year-round use. It sleeps four comfortably with a pull-out sofa, so it works for a couple, a solo trip, or a small family that wants a simple basecamp.
It’s pragmatic in all the right ways
An efficient layout, good storage, and a main room that feels bigger than the footprint because it opens to the outside.
Axonometric View
Floor Plan
Floor Plan
Hearth Suite
Hearth is the gathering suite. It’s where a group can spend time together: meals, games, long conversations, and the kind of weekend where nobody’s checking the clock.
Where Life Gathers
As guests arrive, they move naturally from the entry into an open living room, through to the dining room and kitchen — a sequence that invites conversation, shared meals and easy hospitality. This is the social heart of the home, a place that feels both generous and welcoming.
Where You Withdraw
Downstairs belongs to rest and quiet. The bedrooms open through wide sliding doors that blur the line between interior and landscape, letting light and views become part of the room itself. It is a level meant for sleeping, for stillness, and for waking up to something worth seeing.
Axonometric View
Ground Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Loft Floor Plan
Loft Floor Plan
Homeaway Suite
A compact 2 bedroom suite perfect for small families, a pair of couples or a couple looking for a longer stay with a dedicated office space.
Everything Within Reach
The living room and kitchen share one open, sociable space, while the bedroom sits apart for quiet and rest. A loft above offers a tucked away place to unwind. Throughout, direct access to the outdoors keeps the home connected to the landscape beyond.
Axonometric View
Ground Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Loft Floor Plan
Loft Floor Plan
01Hilltop Suites
The Hilltop Suites run parallel to the topography so that the units and decking feel like they define the ridgeline. From this higher elevation, we made surethat each unit is oriented towards the view.
02Valley Suites
These suites are meant to feel grounded and tucked in. They lean into the near views and the quiet of the woods. They’re the choice for guests who want to arrive, settle, and disappear for a bit.
03Vista Suites
These suites are placed for the long look outward. Same calm interiors and straightforward plans, but with the view doing more of the work. They’re for guests who want the “wake up and stare” version of Berkeley Springs.
Interiors & Finishes
The interior finishes speak to the history of the location. Berkeley Springs is the site of a historic hot springs, and was frequented in Colonial America for its restorative qualities. We wanted to speak to that early American past with a palette that combines hammered metals, Federal-style millwork, and colors that would feel at home 250 years ago.
Direction
Warm, calm, durable
Material kit
Wood-forward, muted tones
Details
Simple, clean, easy to maintain
Feel
Retreat-grade comfort, STR-ready execution
Interior Approach
Two interior directions, one goal: make the suites feel rooted in the region and easy to live in. Calm spaces that still have personality.
Amenities & Guest Experience
The guest experience is built around simple options. You can come here and do nothing. Or you can build a day out of small rituals: a short walk, a soak, a fire, a late dinner, a slow morning. The property supports both without making either one feel like the “correct” way to stay.
Because the units are spread across the hillside, moving through the site is part of the experience. You get little shifts in light and view as you go. It feels natural, not programmed.
The shared amenities are there to give the property a pulse, especially when multiple units are booked together. But the baseline experience is still privacy first.
Stay modes
Solo quiet or group weekend
Wellness
Optional loop across the site
Outdoor life
Decks, fire moments, small clearings
Flow
Walkable clusters, not a single strip of units
A site that works in every season
In summer, the whole place moves outside. In winter, the cabins pull you back in. The layouts, thresholds, and outdoor moments are designed so both seasons feel like the point.
A retreat that still feels close to town
You’re in the woods, but Berkeley Springs is nearby. That mix is part of Branch’s model: nature when you want it, food and culture when you don’t want to cook.
Shared, but not crowded
When multiple units are booked together, the property feels social. When they aren’t, it still feels quiet. That’s mostly a planning problem, and this site plan solves it.
In Progress
Results
04
Contiguous Lots
11
Guest units in 4 clusters
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