Atlanta Symphony House | Architectural Photography Case Study
A Three-Storey Modern Residence on Protected Peachtree Land | Buckhead, Atlanta
Architect: Robert Tretsch III
Builder: ADCO Construction
Location: Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia
Notable: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 75th Anniversary Designer Showhouse
The Project
Set on a 1.19-acre site in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighbourhood, adjacent to protected Standing Fort Peachtree land, architect Robert Tretsch III created a residence that served as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 75th Anniversary Designer Showhouse, while Tretsch was serving as Modern Studio Director at Harrison Design, the home draws on the dramatic arc of compositions by Rossini and Schubert performed during the ASO’s 1945 inaugural.
The facade pairs Meridian brick with Nichiha Miraia black reflective fibre cement panels — the first installation of this cladding in the United States. Oriented on an east–west axis, the house allows daylight to move fully through the interior over the course of the day, continuously reshaping each space.
The material contrasts inside are deliberate: dark steel railings and black-framed glass against white volumes and warm oak floors. Pendant chandeliers drop through the triple-height void. Wrought iron stair railings — geometric, almost musical in their rhythm – stitch the three levels together. Such materials frame key design choices (e.g., the elevated dining room above the main living space).
“The volume of the main living space and the floating stair was successfully rendered — but the addition of a figure moving down the stairs gave it a great sense of scale.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
A dramatic, marble-wrapped island anchors the kitchen on the main level, while the lower floor opens through expansive glazing to a 65-foot pool and landscaped grounds.
As a designer showhouse, each room was conceived by a different Atlanta interior designer – each responding to Tretsch’s architectural framework. The result is a home where the spaces shift in mood as you move through them, from the monumental scale of the staircase and living volumes to the intimacy of the bedrooms and the primary ensuite.
“All previous shots I had seen were looking over the tub towards the pool — but this shot, looking towards the dense forest, gives it a primal, verdant feel, as if you’re up in the tree canopy, a million miles from civilization.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
The Photography
TC Photography was in Atlanta co-facilitating an architecture and design photography workshop, with this residence secured as a key subject for the event. Pre-event access to the session facilitators was limited to a single three-hour window, the day before the event. As such, none of the preparation that a residence of this scale and complexity would ordinarily demand could be done (e.g., extended walk-through, formal light study, shot-list development).
A house like this, with its triple-height glass volumes, dramatic shifts in interior light and significant dynamic range between the dark reflective exterior and the bright, white-walled interiors, would typically require a minimum of two full shooting days. Holding that tonal range while maintaining the atmosphere of each space — the warmth of the kitchen, the drama of the staircase, the serenity of the bedrooms – was key.
The twilight exteriors, captured in the final moments of the workshop, reveal the house as the architect designed it to be experienced after dark: a luminous glass structure reflecting the evening sky and the surrounding canopy.
The Outcome
“The twilight shot of the rear elevation captured everything I thought about when I envisioned this side of the house: the layering, the volumes, and the incredible reflectivity of the mirrored panels on the upper floor.
The fact that all this was done in a three-hour window is quite an achievement.”
~ Robert Tretsch III, Architect
What these images reflect is something every complex photography project demands: conveying the quality and precision of the build, while showcasing the architect’s choices and why they matter. Such understanding must be embedded into every composition, regardless of how much time is available
TC Photography is an architectural and interior photographer serving architects, custom home builders, and interior designers across Victoria, Vancouver Island, and the Vancouver and Lower Mainland markets. To discuss photographing your next project, get in touch.
More Case Studies
The Monashee
A 42-Unit Purpose-Built Rental with Sculptural Curved Balconies | Fairfield, Victoria
Nestled between Victoria’s Upper Fort Street and Cook Street Village, The Monashee is a five-storey, 42-unit purpose-built rental that reimagines the mid-century courtyard apartment for a contemporary streetscape. Designed by Cascadia Architects for developer Empresa Properties, the building’s defining gesture is a series of undulating curved balconies that ripple across the facade, expressed differently on each elevation to respond to the neighbouring context. Read more
Downtown Vancouver Corporate Office
A Corporate Headquarters Across Three Floors of Vancouver’s Tallest Office Tower
Occupying two floors of downtown Vancouver’s tallest office tower, this corporate headquarters was designed by M. Moser Associates, one of the world’s foremost corporate architecture firms, with studios across four continents. Vestacon Ltd., a specialist in corporate tenant improvements, managed the build. The brief was clear: showcase a workplace that earns its address. Read more
The Grotto
A Residential Addition Built Into Bedrock
The backyard of this Gonzales Bay home was dominated by a massive metamorphic bedrock outcrop — moss-covered, rain-smoothed, and deeply loved by the homeowners. When they approached architect Bruce Greenway about adding a private annex for remote work and family use, the instruction was clear: preserve the rock. That constraint shaped everything that followed. Read more