AIA Long Island Archi Award - Commendation, 2023
see project page here
Situated in Hither Hills, a rolling topography of dunes between Montauk and Amagansett, this house provides a year-round retreat for a New York family.
Though it is located on a desirable stretch of landscape near the beach, the site came with considerable constraints. Hemmed in by trafficked roads on two sides and by neighbors on the others, its edge conditions are abrupt. Within that parcel, the site’s topography is steeply sloped. The architect designed a set of novel and pragmatic solutions resulting in this singular residence.
With a design that cohesively melds architecture, interiors, and landscape, the architect worked with the site’s challenging topography, using it to configure a series of spaces that cascade down the hillside. The layout creates a series of outdoor terraces that amplify the home’s indoor/outdoor atmosphere.
From the main entrance, we designed the house that appears to be a low-slung single-story pavilion. By keeping the profile low, we satisfied a series of zoning regulations limiting size and volume. From there, the house descends down the slope, opening more expansive interior spaces, each with a different view of the ocean and the surrounding landscape.
Clad in glass and charred and natural cedar, the home is designed to withstand coastal climate conditions, becoming more beautiful over time. The architect left visible a concrete retaining wall, installed as a civil engineering necessity, that links the house’s different levels, both visually and structurally.
Vegetated roofs integrate the structure into the landscape. To reinforce this connectedness between indoors and outdoors, we designed an outer stairway that links each of the levels and spaces. On the upper floors, concrete treads reference the house’s architecture, while on the lower floors, the concrete transitions to landscape pavers, creating visual and experiential continuity between the house and its site.
Though it is located on a desirable stretch of landscape near the beach, the site came with considerable constraints. Hemmed in by trafficked roads on two sides and by neighbors on the others, its edge conditions are abrupt. Within that parcel, the site’s topography is steeply sloped. The architect designed a set of novel and pragmatic solutions resulting in this singular residence.
With a design that cohesively melds architecture, interiors, and landscape, the architect worked with the site’s challenging topography, using it to configure a series of spaces that cascade down the hillside. The layout creates a series of outdoor terraces that amplify the home’s indoor/outdoor atmosphere.
From the main entrance, we designed the house that appears to be a low-slung single-story pavilion. By keeping the profile low, we satisfied a series of zoning regulations limiting size and volume. From there, the house descends down the slope, opening more expansive interior spaces, each with a different view of the ocean and the surrounding landscape.
Clad in glass and charred and natural cedar, the home is designed to withstand coastal climate conditions, becoming more beautiful over time. The architect left visible a concrete retaining wall, installed as a civil engineering necessity, that links the house’s different levels, both visually and structurally.
Vegetated roofs integrate the structure into the landscape. To reinforce this connectedness between indoors and outdoors, we designed an outer stairway that links each of the levels and spaces. On the upper floors, concrete treads reference the house’s architecture, while on the lower floors, the concrete transitions to landscape pavers, creating visual and experiential continuity between the house and its site.