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138 Main Street
Apple Bank Building
Second Floor
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
(use for courier delivery)
P.O Box 510
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
(use for USPS delivery)
T 631.725.0229
F 631.725.0230
Profile
Bates Masi + Architects LLC, a full-service architectural firm with roots in New York City and the East End of Long Island for over 45 years, responds to each project with extensive research in related architectural fields, material, craft and environment for unique solutions as varied as the individuals or groups for whom they are designed. The focus is neither the size nor the type of project but the opportunity to enrich lives and enhance the environment. The attention to all elements of design has been a constant in the firm’s philosophy. Projects include urban and suburban residences, schools, offices, hotels, restaurants, retail and furniture in the United States, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm has received 43 design awards since 2003 and has been featured in national and international publications including The New York Times, New York Magazine, Architectural Digest, Architectural Record, Metropolitan Home, and Dwell. Residential Architect Magazine selected Bates Masi one of their 50 Architect’s We Love. A gallery exhibition in May 2010 featured the firm’s earlier work from 1960-70.
Paul Masi spent childhood summers in Montauk and currently resides in Amagansett. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Catholic University and a Masters of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He worked at Richard Meier & Partners before joining this firm in 1998.
Harry Bates, a resident of East Hampton, received a Bachelor of Architecture from North Carolina State University. After ten years with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he was in private practice in New York City for 17 years before moving the firm to Southampton on the East End in 1980. Our offices are currently located in Sag Harbor with plans to relocate to a new LEED Certified office building of our own design in East Hampton.














































Pryor
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 3,200 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
Landscape Architect: Coen + Partners
The house occupies a hill in Montauk with a distant view of the ocean, a site that the owners, a couple with two young boys, spent years to find. It is the couple’s reprieve from their home in the city, to share the outdoor lifestyle with their family and to remember their teenage years together in Montauk. The house design prompts the owners to interact with the surrounding environment, evoking experiences of camping.
A departure from typical residential planning, the house is entered through multiple areas for different guests and occasions. Large glass doors slide open to the living, dining and kitchen area for a large gathering; a smaller scaled swing door for an occasional guest opens to the center hall with a view of the ocean. A sequence of auxiliary spaces - beach equipment area, outdoor shower, sand and mudroom – creates a seamless ritual of the daily activities for the family and friends. In all living areas and bedrooms, glass doors and insect screens slide in and out from pocket walls, transforming rooms to screened porches or spaces completely open to the landscape.
The living area, a double height space with kitchen, dining and living area, has thirty-six feet wide glass doors that pocket
into southern and northern walls. When open, the dining room becomes a picnic area and the living room fireplace becomes a campfire. Multiple layers of bronzed metal fabric at the clerestory windows in the living area fold and unfold to adjust sunlight for optimal brightness & temperature of the space. These operable architectural elements use the natural environment to create suitable living conditions.
The house is environmentally friendly in its overall construction and planning with geo-thermal heating and cooling, shading and venting systems, solar panels, and organic finishes and materials. Lending to the structure’s sustainability, the house is assembled, rather than built, with a prefabricated foundation, panel siding and efficient built-ins, minimizing construction debris and toxins such as concrete foundation tar on the site. With the owner’s initial premise of camping, the design and functionality of the house promote a memorable experience for friends and family in the natural environment.
Genius Loci
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Davis Builders
Montauk, NY, resembles many other small seaside communities. However, it possesses unique characteristics that imprint lasting memories. The weather is unpredictable with banks of heavy fog and gusty winds. History is closer to folklore than truth with stories of the Montauk Project Conspiracy, German Submarines and, the Montauk Monster blurring the line between fact and fiction. Remnants of the past such as a radar tower and bunkers are scattered throughout the landscape. Socially, there is a seasonal migration and mix of economic classes. The clients could have chosen to vacation anywhere in the world, but were lured to Montauk by the characteristics that make it unique from other areas. These characteristics embody the “Spirit of Montauk” and the clients challenged the architect to design a house that would embody and capture this spirit.
Formerly a horse ranch, the rolling green pasture of the site is located at one of the highest elevations in Montauk. The extensive program is terraced and embedded into the steep slope of the hill without compromising access to the exterior or natural light. Approaching from the south, the house appears to be two modest and separate one-story ranch houses. Circling around to the north, the house unfolds to reveal a more extensive project. In this case, the conventional
Montauk building typology of the low-pitched gabled roof is modified by the geometries of the allowable building envelope and height restrictions of the site. The ridge is offset and the walls converge, directing one’s view west to the lake. The optical illusion caused by the parabolic roof is visible on the South side and entices a second look, as do numerous other details.
Architectural details throughout the house occur at unexpected moments. A wood screen covered bridge unifies the two shingle clad volumes, allowing light into the grass paver courtyard below. The cedar screen of the bridge reads differently from day to night. It appears flat during the day, but, as darkness falls, light seeps out in an undulating pattern showing the wedge shape cut in the back of the boards. In front of clerestory windows, a milled bluestone screen is similarly detailed. The stone appears weightless as alternating stones are removed from the pattern to let light into the guest area. These unexpected details reinforce the larger idea of capturing the unexpected.
There is no prescribed path of circulation, encouraging different encounters much like the social experiences of Montauk. One can enter beneath the bridge and up terraced planter steps revealing the rolling hills and ocean in the distance. One can also climb the exterior entry stair that mirrors the interior stair, separated by a wall of glass. One can choose to enter into the house or continue to the outdoor fireplace, dining area, and out to the pool. The exploration resulting from unique circulation yields a different memorable experience for everyone.
Genius Loci
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Davis Builders
Montauk, NY, resembles many other small seaside communities. However, it possesses unique characteristics that imprint lasting memories. The weather is unpredictable with banks of heavy fog and gusty winds. History is closer to folklore than truth with stories of the Montauk Project Conspiracy, German Submarines and, the Montauk Monster blurring the line between fact and fiction. Remnants of the past such as a radar tower and bunkers are scattered throughout the landscape. Socially, there is a seasonal migration and mix of economic classes. The clients could have chosen to vacation anywhere in the world, but were lured to Montauk by the characteristics that make it unique from other areas. These characteristics embody the “Spirit of Montauk” and the clients challenged the architect to design a house that would embody and capture this spirit.
Formerly a horse ranch, the rolling green pasture of the site is located at one of the highest elevations in Montauk. The extensive program is terraced and embedded into the steep slope of the hill without compromising access to the exterior or natural light. Approaching from the south, the house appears to be two modest and separate one-story ranch houses. Circling around to the north, the house unfolds to reveal a more extensive project. In this case, the conventional
Montauk building typology of the low-pitched gabled roof is modified by the geometries of the allowable building envelope and height restrictions of the site. The ridge is offset and the walls converge, directing one’s view west to the lake. The optical illusion caused by the parabolic roof is visible on the South side and entices a second look, as do numerous other details.
Architectural details throughout the house occur at unexpected moments. A wood screen covered bridge unifies the two shingle clad volumes, allowing light into the grass paver courtyard below. The cedar screen of the bridge reads differently from day to night. It appears flat during the day, but, as darkness falls, light seeps out in an undulating pattern showing the wedge shape cut in the back of the boards. In front of clerestory windows, a milled bluestone screen is similarly detailed. The stone appears weightless as alternating stones are removed from the pattern to let light into the guest area. These unexpected details reinforce the larger idea of capturing the unexpected.
There is no prescribed path of circulation, encouraging different encounters much like the social experiences of Montauk. One can enter beneath the bridge and up terraced planter steps revealing the rolling hills and ocean in the distance. One can also climb the exterior entry stair that mirrors the interior stair, separated by a wall of glass. One can choose to enter into the house or continue to the outdoor fireplace, dining area, and out to the pool. The exploration resulting from unique circulation yields a different memorable experience for everyone.
Genius Loci
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Davis Builders
Montauk, NY, resembles many other small seaside communities. However, it possesses unique characteristics that imprint lasting memories. The weather is unpredictable with banks of heavy fog and gusty winds. History is closer to folklore than truth with stories of the Montauk Project Conspiracy, German Submarines and, the Montauk Monster blurring the line between fact and fiction. Remnants of the past such as a radar tower and bunkers are scattered throughout the landscape. Socially, there is a seasonal migration and mix of economic classes. The clients could have chosen to vacation anywhere in the world, but were lured to Montauk by the characteristics that make it unique from other areas. These characteristics embody the “Spirit of Montauk” and the clients challenged the architect to design a house that would embody and capture this spirit.
Formerly a horse ranch, the rolling green pasture of the site is located at one of the highest elevations in Montauk. The extensive program is terraced and embedded into the steep slope of the hill without compromising access to the exterior or natural light. Approaching from the south, the house appears to be two modest and separate one-story ranch houses. Circling around to the north, the house unfolds to reveal a more extensive project. In this case, the conventional
Montauk building typology of the low-pitched gabled roof is modified by the geometries of the allowable building envelope and height restrictions of the site. The ridge is offset and the walls converge, directing one’s view west to the lake. The optical illusion caused by the parabolic roof is visible on the South side and entices a second look, as do numerous other details.
Architectural details throughout the house occur at unexpected moments. A wood screen covered bridge unifies the two shingle clad volumes, allowing light into the grass paver courtyard below. The cedar screen of the bridge reads differently from day to night. It appears flat during the day, but, as darkness falls, light seeps out in an undulating pattern showing the wedge shape cut in the back of the boards. In front of clerestory windows, a milled bluestone screen is similarly detailed. The stone appears weightless as alternating stones are removed from the pattern to let light into the guest area. These unexpected details reinforce the larger idea of capturing the unexpected.
There is no prescribed path of circulation, encouraging different encounters much like the social experiences of Montauk. One can enter beneath the bridge and up terraced planter steps revealing the rolling hills and ocean in the distance. One can also climb the exterior entry stair that mirrors the interior stair, separated by a wall of glass. One can choose to enter into the house or continue to the outdoor fireplace, dining area, and out to the pool. The exploration resulting from unique circulation yields a different memorable experience for everyone.
Genius Loci
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Davis Builders
Montauk, NY, resembles many other small seaside communities. However, it possesses unique characteristics that imprint lasting memories. The weather is unpredictable with banks of heavy fog and gusty winds. History is closer to folklore than truth with stories of the Montauk Project Conspiracy, German Submarines and, the Montauk Monster blurring the line between fact and fiction. Remnants of the past such as a radar tower and bunkers are scattered throughout the landscape. Socially, there is a seasonal migration and mix of economic classes. The clients could have chosen to vacation anywhere in the world, but were lured to Montauk by the characteristics that make it unique from other areas. These characteristics embody the “Spirit of Montauk” and the clients challenged the architect to design a house that would embody and capture this spirit.
Formerly a horse ranch, the rolling green pasture of the site is located at one of the highest elevations in Montauk. The extensive program is terraced and embedded into the steep slope of the hill without compromising access to the exterior or natural light. Approaching from the south, the house appears to be two modest and separate one-story ranch houses. Circling around to the north, the house unfolds to reveal a more extensive project. In this case, the conventional
Montauk building typology of the low-pitched gabled roof is modified by the geometries of the allowable building envelope and height restrictions of the site. The ridge is offset and the walls converge, directing one’s view west to the lake. The optical illusion caused by the parabolic roof is visible on the South side and entices a second look, as do numerous other details.
Architectural details throughout the house occur at unexpected moments. A wood screen covered bridge unifies the two shingle clad volumes, allowing light into the grass paver courtyard below. The cedar screen of the bridge reads differently from day to night. It appears flat during the day, but, as darkness falls, light seeps out in an undulating pattern showing the wedge shape cut in the back of the boards. In front of clerestory windows, a milled bluestone screen is similarly detailed. The stone appears weightless as alternating stones are removed from the pattern to let light into the guest area. These unexpected details reinforce the larger idea of capturing the unexpected.
There is no prescribed path of circulation, encouraging different encounters much like the social experiences of Montauk. One can enter beneath the bridge and up terraced planter steps revealing the rolling hills and ocean in the distance. One can also climb the exterior entry stair that mirrors the interior stair, separated by a wall of glass. One can choose to enter into the house or continue to the outdoor fireplace, dining area, and out to the pool. The exploration resulting from unique circulation yields a different memorable experience for everyone.
Genius Loci
Lot size: 1.6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Davis Builders
Montauk, NY, resembles many other small seaside communities. However, it possesses unique characteristics that imprint lasting memories. The weather is unpredictable with banks of heavy fog and gusty winds. History is closer to folklore than truth with stories of the Montauk Project Conspiracy, German Submarines and, the Montauk Monster blurring the line between fact and fiction. Remnants of the past such as a radar tower and bunkers are scattered throughout the landscape. Socially, there is a seasonal migration and mix of economic classes. The clients could have chosen to vacation anywhere in the world, but were lured to Montauk by the characteristics that make it unique from other areas. These characteristics embody the “Spirit of Montauk” and the clients challenged the architect to design a house that would embody and capture this spirit.
Formerly a horse ranch, the rolling green pasture of the site is located at one of the highest elevations in Montauk. The extensive program is terraced and embedded into the steep slope of the hill without compromising access to the exterior or natural light. Approaching from the south, the house appears to be two modest and separate one-story ranch houses. Circling around to the north, the house unfolds to reveal a more extensive project. In this case, the conventional
Montauk building typology of the low-pitched gabled roof is modified by the geometries of the allowable building envelope and height restrictions of the site. The ridge is offset and the walls converge, directing one’s view west to the lake. The optical illusion caused by the parabolic roof is visible on the South side and entices a second look, as do numerous other details.
Architectural details throughout the house occur at unexpected moments. A wood screen covered bridge unifies the two shingle clad volumes, allowing light into the grass paver courtyard below. The cedar screen of the bridge reads differently from day to night. It appears flat during the day, but, as darkness falls, light seeps out in an undulating pattern showing the wedge shape cut in the back of the boards. In front of clerestory windows, a milled bluestone screen is similarly detailed. The stone appears weightless as alternating stones are removed from the pattern to let light into the guest area. These unexpected details reinforce the larger idea of capturing the unexpected.
There is no prescribed path of circulation, encouraging different encounters much like the social experiences of Montauk. One can enter beneath the bridge and up terraced planter steps revealing the rolling hills and ocean in the distance. One can also climb the exterior entry stair that mirrors the interior stair, separated by a wall of glass. One can choose to enter into the house or continue to the outdoor fireplace, dining area, and out to the pool. The exploration resulting from unique circulation yields a different memorable experience for everyone.
Noyack Creek
Lot size: 0.31 acres
Building size: 1,350 sq. ft.
Location: Noyack, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
The client, a New York actor, sought a retreat for relaxation and casual entertaining on a restrictive narrow lot fronting the tidal estuary of Noyack Creek. The house became a study in architectural theatre: a series of spaces in a carefully scripted sequence that subtly reflect his professional life.
The path begins at the front door where perforated privacy screens slide apart like a curtain, revealing the loft-like living and dining spaces. The direction of the deck boards that make up the flooring is altered to demarcate the path through the space, emerging seamlessly to an exterior waterside deck. A broad stair to the second level, parallel with an interior stair along a glazed wall, acts as tiered seating for entertaining and looking at the water view beyond. Beneath the stair, hidden backstage for maximum privacy, the guest room shares the water view through a nearly hidden sliding door. Guests emerge as if through a trap door.
Continuing up the stair to the second floor, the final destination is the master suite and balcony. The master bedroom is connected to the bath by a bridge overlooking the public spaces below which are lit by the glazed stair wall. Lined with a guardrail of stainless steel cables recalling a fly loft and catwalk, the path culminates in the master bedroom with its wall of glazing overlooking the water.
Windows throughout the house are carefully placed to provide the maximum daylight and water views while maintaining privacy from the nearby neighbors and street. The siding system is manipulated for varying degrees of privacy as well. Comprised of Skatelite, a natural resin panel typically used in skateboard ramps, the siding is water-jet cut with tight joints in areas demanding privacy and loosely spaced in other areas to admit light and air. The texture and color of the siding, in keeping with the budget of the house, reference a black box theatre.
In the end, a house that could have been limited by its small site and budget was elevated by its conception as a stage for memorable experiences.
Noyack Creek
Lot size: 0.31 acres
Building size: 1,350 sq. ft.
Location: Noyack, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
The client, a New York actor, sought a retreat for relaxation and casual entertaining on a restrictive narrow lot fronting the tidal estuary of Noyack Creek. The house became a study in architectural theatre: a series of spaces in a carefully scripted sequence that subtly reflect his professional life.
The path begins at the front door where perforated privacy screens slide apart like a curtain, revealing the loft-like living and dining spaces. The direction of the deck boards that make up the flooring is altered to demarcate the path through the space, emerging seamlessly to an exterior waterside deck. A broad stair to the second level, parallel with an interior stair along a glazed wall, acts as tiered seating for entertaining and looking at the water view beyond. Beneath the stair, hidden backstage for maximum privacy, the guest room shares the water view through a nearly hidden sliding door. Guests emerge as if through a trap door.
Continuing up the stair to the second floor, the final destination is the master suite and balcony. The master bedroom is connected to the bath by a bridge overlooking the public spaces below which are lit by the glazed stair wall. Lined with a guardrail of stainless steel cables recalling a fly loft and catwalk, the path culminates in the master bedroom with its wall of glazing overlooking the water.
Windows throughout the house are carefully placed to provide the maximum daylight and water views while maintaining privacy from the nearby neighbors and street. The siding system is manipulated for varying degrees of privacy as well. Comprised of Skatelite, a natural resin panel typically used in skateboard ramps, the siding is water-jet cut with tight joints in areas demanding privacy and loosely spaced in other areas to admit light and air. The texture and color of the siding, in keeping with the budget of the house, reference a black box theatre.
In the end, a house that could have been limited by its small site and budget was elevated by its conception as a stage for memorable experiences.
Robins Way
Lot size: 1.5 acres
Building size: 2,000 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: Brian Mannix
Interior Designer: Athena Calderone
The clients, an interior designer and a DJ, requested a complete renovation and addition of a 1960’s kit house in Amagansett, NY to be a weekend retreat from their urban apartment. The clients gathered images of objects and conventional materials utilized in new, interesting ways as inspiration for the design. A single design solution that could unify the old remaining parts of the house to the new intervention was sought. This solution should solve acoustical, lighting, equipment coordination and simultaneously address the aesthetic décor requirements of the client’s collection of objects. A vocabulary was developed that allowed the patina and history that the client favored to remain and new experiences to evolve.
The house was gutted and reduced down to the skeletal framework allowing the intervention to utilize the post and beam construction that remained. Between the existing ceiling joists, natural rope was woven through a digitally fabricated framework. Weaving patterns were used to signify different ceiling conditions. Lighting penetrates through a crossed weave of the rope. It transitions to a straight weave to shield speakers and utilities from view. Since the client is a DJ, sound is very important. The rope weave
acts as an acoustic baffle absorbing background noise, but allows music from the ceiling mounted speakers to be emitted.
To integrate with the décor, the rope was used structurally to support several items such as a large, custom steel framed mirror in the Master Bathroom and the Dining Room Chandelier. A large sliding door is woven with the same rope to provide privacy from the neighbors and shield the sun at various times of the day. The sunlight rakes through the openings casting linear shadows on the bathroom floor.
Unifying the exterior is a dark stained cedar siding that wraps all of the exterior facades and transitions to the matching frames of the replaced windows and doors. The newly constructed interior walls and interior cabinetry were also resurfaced in reclaimed barn wood. Behind a sheet of glass, the same reclaimed wood lines the shower surround and one feels as though they are showering outdoors. The clients now have a quiet escape from city life.
The frequent turnover within a vacation community can be wasteful. Some are eager to tear down what exists and start new. This project preserved the skeleton of the house and the history in the patinaed materials that the client desired. Conventional materials were utilized in new ways to unify the old and the new.
Robins Way
Lot size: 1.5 acres
Building size: 2,000 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: Brian Mannix
Interior Designer: Athena Calderone
The clients, an interior designer and a DJ, requested a complete renovation and addition of a 1960’s kit house in Amagansett, NY to be a weekend retreat from their urban apartment. The clients gathered images of objects and conventional materials utilized in new, interesting ways as inspiration for the design. A single design solution that could unify the old remaining parts of the house to the new intervention was sought. This solution should solve acoustical, lighting, equipment coordination and simultaneously address the aesthetic décor requirements of the client’s collection of objects. A vocabulary was developed that allowed the patina and history that the client favored to remain and new experiences to evolve.
The house was gutted and reduced down to the skeletal framework allowing the intervention to utilize the post and beam construction that remained. Between the existing ceiling joists, natural rope was woven through a digitally fabricated framework. Weaving patterns were used to signify different ceiling conditions. Lighting penetrates through a crossed weave of the rope. It transitions to a straight weave to shield speakers and utilities from view. Since the client is a DJ, sound is very important. The rope weave
acts as an acoustic baffle absorbing background noise, but allows music from the ceiling mounted speakers to be emitted.
To integrate with the décor, the rope was used structurally to support several items such as a large, custom steel framed mirror in the Master Bathroom and the Dining Room Chandelier. A large sliding door is woven with the same rope to provide privacy from the neighbors and shield the sun at various times of the day. The sunlight rakes through the openings casting linear shadows on the bathroom floor.
Unifying the exterior is a dark stained cedar siding that wraps all of the exterior facades and transitions to the matching frames of the replaced windows and doors. The newly constructed interior walls and interior cabinetry were also resurfaced in reclaimed barn wood. Behind a sheet of glass, the same reclaimed wood lines the shower surround and one feels as though they are showering outdoors. The clients now have a quiet escape from city life.
The frequent turnover within a vacation community can be wasteful. Some are eager to tear down what exists and start new. This project preserved the skeleton of the house and the history in the patinaed materials that the client desired. Conventional materials were utilized in new ways to unify the old and the new.
Upcher
Lot size: 0.5 acres
Building size: 1,400 sq. ft.
Location: East Hampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: Seacoast Construction
The design of this 1200 sq. ft. residence for a writer was a study in adaptability and re-use. The client was looking to simplify her life and downsize from an earlier house done by this firm. The new house would be built just west of her existing house on the adjacent property. She voiced the desire for her new house to be functional, light, informal, simple and maintain a view of a large moss covered rock on the site.
The house was designed to be both spatially and economically efficient by coordinating the assembly of pre-manufactured components researched over the Internet. It is essentially one large room with ancillary spaces that feed off it. The structure is an adjustable cantilevering rack system used in lumberyards. It is comprised of standard steel sizes with an assortment of brackets and arms that can be specified for any type of load or application. Bolted connections secure the steel arms and brackets to the steel columns. From these appendages cabinetry is hung, a fireplace mantel is suspended and handrails are applied. They also support the mahogany bookshelves and the walkway around the perimeter of the library.
Prefabricated concrete foundation walls, formaldehyde free water-resistant fiber board, rough sawn okoume wood, aluminum windows, dyed concrete wall panels, pre-assembled wood screens, cabinets from IKEA and gabion retaining walls are the other elements that come together to form the house.
Nothing in the house is excessive. Only what is needed is what has been provided for. The house’s ability to be adapted and retrofitted, expanded or reduced allows for a multiplicity of uses and to do so without waste is implicit in the design.
Upcher
Lot size: 0.5 acres
Building size: 1,400 sq. ft.
Location: East Hampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: Seacoast Construction
The design of this 1200 sq. ft. residence for a writer was a study in adaptability and re-use. The client was looking to simplify her life and downsize from an earlier house done by this firm. The new house would be built just west of her existing house on the adjacent property. She voiced the desire for her new house to be functional, light, informal, simple and maintain a view of a large moss covered rock on the site.
The house was designed to be both spatially and economically efficient by coordinating the assembly of pre-manufactured components researched over the Internet. It is essentially one large room with ancillary spaces that feed off it. The structure is an adjustable cantilevering rack system used in lumberyards. It is comprised of standard steel sizes with an assortment of brackets and arms that can be specified for any type of load or application. Bolted connections secure the steel arms and brackets to the steel columns. From these appendages cabinetry is hung, a fireplace mantel is suspended and handrails are applied. They also support the mahogany bookshelves and the walkway around the perimeter of the library.
Prefabricated concrete foundation walls, formaldehyde free water-resistant fiber board, rough sawn okoume wood, aluminum windows, dyed concrete wall panels, pre-assembled wood screens, cabinets from IKEA and gabion retaining walls are the other elements that come together to form the house.
Nothing in the house is excessive. Only what is needed is what has been provided for. The house’s ability to be adapted and retrofitted, expanded or reduced allows for a multiplicity of uses and to do so without waste is implicit in the design.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Salt Cay
Lot size: 6 acres
Building size: 7,000 sq. ft.
Location: Turks & Caicos, BVI
Program: Resort Villa
Salt Cay is to become a unique resort that provides its guests with unmatched privacy, service, intelligent luxury, and unique experiences. It will achieve this not in spite of, but because of its sensitivity to the history, ecology, vernacular traditions, and natural beauty of the island. The architecture of the resort will be a backdrop that enhances the already unique experiences available on Salt Cay. The design is a singular idea that fulfills all of the resort’s goals. It enhances the sense of place, provides unsurpassed privacy, creates unique and therefore profound experiences, respects the environment, and does so with an economy of materials and resources.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Cherry Point
Lot size: 0.25 acres
Building size: 1,685 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
A waterfront site coexistant with a tidal marsh yielded only a twenty-five hundred square foot buildable footprint for this windsurfer’s family beach house. The environmentally sensitive lot needed a unique water treatment system that was integrated into the architecture. This system had to be placed above ground level, creating an artificial plateau.
Raised on wooden pilings seven feet above the area’s floodplain, the house’s elevated entry deck lies flush with an artificial plateau determined by the requisite fifteen thousand cubic foot above ground waste water system. The main floor is further raised through an inversion of the traditional domestic organization – daytime living quarters on top, sleeping quarters below. Although this configuration affords panoramic views of the bay from the glazed living room and its adjacent sundeck, it also effectuates a physical discontinuity between interior and exterior. Since the land was purchased for its natural beauty as well as its proximity to the open water, and since legalistic constraints forbid the building’s extension into its landscape, the landscape would have to reach into the house – conceptually and visually.
With no horizontal surface to spare, the connection is performed within a thin scrim lining the structure’s vertical façades. The gaze cast across the property’s neighboring marshlands, one may witness the effects of the wind on the
plane of sea grasses: a rippling effect visibly renders forces and movement typically perceived only through touch as breezes pass over the skin. How could a similar effect take place as a responsive element integral with the architecture? A material is fabricated of loose screening with fishing lures fastened into each opening. This screen partially clads three façades; the lures shimmer as blades of glass, acting as a sort-of barometer that registers changes in wind speed and direction as they occur in real-time. Thus, in addition to engaging the design with its landscape, these walls also act as an essential instrument for the avid windsurfer. As the lures jingle back and forth on their hinges they alternately admit and deny direct southern sunlight into the living room interior, generating flashes of light and patterned shadows across the floor that alert the occupants to optimal surfing conditions.
An attention to materiality that began with the wind-responsive wall continues throughout the house’s exterior development. By layering the wind wall, concrete composite panels, a fenestration system, and a handrail system beyond and behind a basic volume clad in flush wood siding, the sides of an otherwise uninspired box are revealed on edge, lending an elegant thinness to the overall composition.
Through the simple manipulation of materials, in both their detailing and general application, a compact, highly efficient plan is seamlessly reconciled with its undersized lot and tied to the greater environment.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Mothersill
Lot size: 2.3 acres
Building size: 6,027 sq. ft.
Location: Water Mill, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Landscape Architect: Gunn Landscape Architecture
Elevated, wooden boardwalks extending into the beachscape are a common occurrence in the dunes of Eastern Long Island. Hovering over the ground, this simple pathway to the beach carefully negotiates a constantly changing terrain. Their modest construction challenges the extreme natural elements found at the intersection of land and sea. In beachfront construction, the boardwalk provides a unifying accessibility that connects disparate elements of building and landscape; it is an extension of building that is knit within the landscape. This design for a vacation home in Water Mill, NY, utilizes a boardwalk as an architectural device for weaving together multiple portions of a historic site with new building and landscape elements.
Located on a creek-front property, the site contains two culturally significant structures designed by Andrew Geller and a diversity of landscape plantings. The two Geller structures, a small house and studio, were built in 1962. Common to Geller’s architecture, a boardwalk connects the two structures. A varied collection of botanically significant plantings populates the property, including a rare specimen Yew garden, serpentine Yew, and more than 400,000 Siberian Iris. The western edge of the property slopes down to a wetland
bordering the creek. A conservation easement on the property protects the two Geller structures, Yew garden and iris, while allowing for the addition of a new main house. The owners requested a design that would unify these disparate elements. To achieve this, a constructed path traverses the site to link visual and spatial relationships between the elements. The path takes the form of a raised, wooden surface that recalls the boardwalks of Geller’s architecture.
Building and wetland setbacks, existing landscape features, site access, and conservation easement restrictions overlap to create the parameters of the meandering path. The path originates from the relocated Geller House in the Yew garden and winds around the serpentine hedge to a new swimming pool. As the path continues it passes the Geller Studio, now reprogrammed as a pool house, and connects to shaded outdoor living spaces. A new central lawn is defined as the boardwalk turns to extend through the main house. A cantilevered deck wraps the end of the main house at the termination of the path, providing views of the wetland and creek. The surface of the path folds up and over to become the enclosure of the main house, simultaneously functioning as floor, wall, and roof. All surfaces of this enclosure are constructed with the same wood decking as the boardwalk. Their uniformity gives the effect of a single envelope containing a variety of parts and reflects the influence of design in Geller's work. In these ways the physical, material, and spatial qualities of the path facilitate an architectural dialogue between the Geller structures and new house that is interwoven with the existing landscape, collecting the once individual elements into a unified whole.
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Hither Hills
Lot size: .35 acres
Building size: 3,300 sq. ft.
Location: Montauk, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Far Pond
Lot size: .43 acres
Building size: 3,100 sq. ft.
Location: Southampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
The waterfront site of an existing 1970’s kit house overlooks layers of wetlands to an estuary, the bay, and the ocean. The client set the parameters of keeping the existing structure while doubling the size of the house with an addition. The existing structure consists of glulam post and beam construction connected with steel plates. One solution could be to mimic the existing architectural language of the post and beam skeletal structure in the addition. Since the existing house clearly expressed the structural system, the addition should also express this. The architect chose to clearly identify the existing system of the house and create a dialogue with a contrasting panelized system in the addition. The new system utilizes prefabricated elements that resolve multiple structural and spatial problems. Examining the strategy of a kit of parts, current material fabrication technologies are utilized to expand on this idea. A different approach to sustainability is explored, minimizing waste by simplifying to the essential components in order to resolve multiple problems, thus eliminating typical construction waste. Using a standard as a precedent and developing a new structural system paired with the latest technologies, a material can accomplish multiple tasks and heighten the experience of inhabiting the space.
Prefabricated shear wall panels, used in light frame construction in areas that are
hurricane prone with high force winds, were studied. Most are made from a light gauge metal folded to add strength and rigidity. For our case the panels were to be exposed and used for more than just a hidden structural component. A standard light gauge 4x8 steel sheet was folded back and forth along the long axis adding the same strength and rigidity to the panel. The resulting 2’ panel locks into adjacent panels and is a structural shear and bearing assembly, as well as a decorative furniture component.
The new structural panels multitask throughout the addition. The solid steel transitions to a perforated panel that baffles the sunlight over windows and doors. The light quality varies throughout the day as light levels transition through the overlapped perforations. Fins that protrude from the wall panels are laser cut to accept shelving, seating and countertops. The same perforated steel becomes the dining room chandelier, and the platform for the stair and desk. This one material is exhausted in its possible uses throughout the house, minimizing the necessity for additional components that require wasteful shipping and packaging. The secondary infill material is used through both structures, on the floors, walls and ceilings to unify the old and the new.
Using new technologies to fabricate customized panels from a standard product accomplishes several things: less material is necessary to achieve greater structural strength, multiple programs can be integrated into one material, waste is minimized resulting in a more effective approach to sustainability, and the dialogue between the existing and new structural systems elevates the experience of inhabiting the space.
Far Pond
Lot size: .43 acres
Building size: 3,100 sq. ft.
Location: Southampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
The waterfront site of an existing 1970’s kit house overlooks layers of wetlands to an estuary, the bay, and the ocean. The client set the parameters of keeping the existing structure while doubling the size of the house with an addition. The existing structure consists of glulam post and beam construction connected with steel plates. One solution could be to mimic the existing architectural language of the post and beam skeletal structure in the addition. Since the existing house clearly expressed the structural system, the addition should also express this. The architect chose to clearly identify the existing system of the house and create a dialogue with a contrasting panelized system in the addition. The new system utilizes prefabricated elements that resolve multiple structural and spatial problems. Examining the strategy of a kit of parts, current material fabrication technologies are utilized to expand on this idea. A different approach to sustainability is explored, minimizing waste by simplifying to the essential components in order to resolve multiple problems, thus eliminating typical construction waste. Using a standard as a precedent and developing a new structural system paired with the latest technologies, a material can accomplish multiple tasks and heighten the experience of inhabiting the space.
Prefabricated shear wall panels, used in light frame construction in areas that are
hurricane prone with high force winds, were studied. Most are made from a light gauge metal folded to add strength and rigidity. For our case the panels were to be exposed and used for more than just a hidden structural component. A standard light gauge 4x8 steel sheet was folded back and forth along the long axis adding the same strength and rigidity to the panel. The resulting 2’ panel locks into adjacent panels and is a structural shear and bearing assembly, as well as a decorative furniture component.
The new structural panels multitask throughout the addition. The solid steel transitions to a perforated panel that baffles the sunlight over windows and doors. The light quality varies throughout the day as light levels transition through the overlapped perforations. Fins that protrude from the wall panels are laser cut to accept shelving, seating and countertops. The same perforated steel becomes the dining room chandelier, and the platform for the stair and desk. This one material is exhausted in its possible uses throughout the house, minimizing the necessity for additional components that require wasteful shipping and packaging. The secondary infill material is used through both structures, on the floors, walls and ceilings to unify the old and the new.
Using new technologies to fabricate customized panels from a standard product accomplishes several things: less material is necessary to achieve greater structural strength, multiple programs can be integrated into one material, waste is minimized resulting in a more effective approach to sustainability, and the dialogue between the existing and new structural systems elevates the experience of inhabiting the space.
Far Pond
Lot size: .43 acres
Building size: 3,100 sq. ft.
Location: Southampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
The waterfront site of an existing 1970’s kit house overlooks layers of wetlands to an estuary, the bay, and the ocean. The client set the parameters of keeping the existing structure while doubling the size of the house with an addition. The existing structure consists of glulam post and beam construction connected with steel plates. One solution could be to mimic the existing architectural language of the post and beam skeletal structure in the addition. Since the existing house clearly expressed the structural system, the addition should also express this. The architect chose to clearly identify the existing system of the house and create a dialogue with a contrasting panelized system in the addition. The new system utilizes prefabricated elements that resolve multiple structural and spatial problems. Examining the strategy of a kit of parts, current material fabrication technologies are utilized to expand on this idea. A different approach to sustainability is explored, minimizing waste by simplifying to the essential components in order to resolve multiple problems, thus eliminating typical construction waste. Using a standard as a precedent and developing a new structural system paired with the latest technologies, a material can accomplish multiple tasks and heighten the experience of inhabiting the space.
Prefabricated shear wall panels, used in light frame construction in areas that are
hurricane prone with high force winds, were studied. Most are made from a light gauge metal folded to add strength and rigidity. For our case the panels were to be exposed and used for more than just a hidden structural component. A standard light gauge 4x8 steel sheet was folded back and forth along the long axis adding the same strength and rigidity to the panel. The resulting 2’ panel locks into adjacent panels and is a structural shear and bearing assembly, as well as a decorative furniture component.
The new structural panels multitask throughout the addition. The solid steel transitions to a perforated panel that baffles the sunlight over windows and doors. The light quality varies throughout the day as light levels transition through the overlapped perforations. Fins that protrude from the wall panels are laser cut to accept shelving, seating and countertops. The same perforated steel becomes the dining room chandelier, and the platform for the stair and desk. This one material is exhausted in its possible uses throughout the house, minimizing the necessity for additional components that require wasteful shipping and packaging. The secondary infill material is used through both structures, on the floors, walls and ceilings to unify the old and the new.
Using new technologies to fabricate customized panels from a standard product accomplishes several things: less material is necessary to achieve greater structural strength, multiple programs can be integrated into one material, waste is minimized resulting in a more effective approach to sustainability, and the dialogue between the existing and new structural systems elevates the experience of inhabiting the space.
Far Pond
Lot size: .43 acres
Building size: 3,100 sq. ft.
Location: Southampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
The waterfront site of an existing 1970’s kit house overlooks layers of wetlands to an estuary, the bay, and the ocean. The client set the parameters of keeping the existing structure while doubling the size of the house with an addition. The existing structure consists of glulam post and beam construction connected with steel plates. One solution could be to mimic the existing architectural language of the post and beam skeletal structure in the addition. Since the existing house clearly expressed the structural system, the addition should also express this. The architect chose to clearly identify the existing system of the house and create a dialogue with a contrasting panelized system in the addition. The new system utilizes prefabricated elements that resolve multiple structural and spatial problems. Examining the strategy of a kit of parts, current material fabrication technologies are utilized to expand on this idea. A different approach to sustainability is explored, minimizing waste by simplifying to the essential components in order to resolve multiple problems, thus eliminating typical construction waste. Using a standard as a precedent and developing a new structural system paired with the latest technologies, a material can accomplish multiple tasks and heighten the experience of inhabiting the space.
Prefabricated shear wall panels, used in light frame construction in areas that are
hurricane prone with high force winds, were studied. Most are made from a light gauge metal folded to add strength and rigidity. For our case the panels were to be exposed and used for more than just a hidden structural component. A standard light gauge 4x8 steel sheet was folded back and forth along the long axis adding the same strength and rigidity to the panel. The resulting 2’ panel locks into adjacent panels and is a structural shear and bearing assembly, as well as a decorative furniture component.
The new structural panels multitask throughout the addition. The solid steel transitions to a perforated panel that baffles the sunlight over windows and doors. The light quality varies throughout the day as light levels transition through the overlapped perforations. Fins that protrude from the wall panels are laser cut to accept shelving, seating and countertops. The same perforated steel becomes the dining room chandelier, and the platform for the stair and desk. This one material is exhausted in its possible uses throughout the house, minimizing the necessity for additional components that require wasteful shipping and packaging. The secondary infill material is used through both structures, on the floors, walls and ceilings to unify the old and the new.
Using new technologies to fabricate customized panels from a standard product accomplishes several things: less material is necessary to achieve greater structural strength, multiple programs can be integrated into one material, waste is minimized resulting in a more effective approach to sustainability, and the dialogue between the existing and new structural systems elevates the experience of inhabiting the space.
Beach Hampton
Lot size: .275 acres
Building size: 600 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Far Pond
Lot size: .43 acres
Building size: 3,100 sq. ft.
Location: Southampton, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
The waterfront site of an existing 1970’s kit house overlooks layers of wetlands to an estuary, the bay, and the ocean. The client set the parameters of keeping the existing structure while doubling the size of the house with an addition. The existing structure consists of glulam post and beam construction connected with steel plates. One solution could be to mimic the existing architectural language of the post and beam skeletal structure in the addition. Since the existing house clearly expressed the structural system, the addition should also express this. The architect chose to clearly identify the existing system of the house and create a dialogue with a contrasting panelized system in the addition. The new system utilizes prefabricated elements that resolve multiple structural and spatial problems. Examining the strategy of a kit of parts, current material fabrication technologies are utilized to expand on this idea. A different approach to sustainability is explored, minimizing waste by simplifying to the essential components in order to resolve multiple problems, thus eliminating typical construction waste. Using a standard as a precedent and developing a new structural system paired with the latest technologies, a material can accomplish multiple tasks and heighten the experience of inhabiting the space.
Prefabricated shear wall panels, used in light frame construction in areas that are
hurricane prone with high force winds, were studied. Most are made from a light gauge metal folded to add strength and rigidity. For our case the panels were to be exposed and used for more than just a hidden structural component. A standard light gauge 4x8 steel sheet was folded back and forth along the long axis adding the same strength and rigidity to the panel. The resulting 2’ panel locks into adjacent panels and is a structural shear and bearing assembly, as well as a decorative furniture component.
The new structural panels multitask throughout the addition. The solid steel transitions to a perforated panel that baffles the sunlight over windows and doors. The light quality varies throughout the day as light levels transition through the overlapped perforations. Fins that protrude from the wall panels are laser cut to accept shelving, seating and countertops. The same perforated steel becomes the dining room chandelier, and the platform for the stair and desk. This one material is exhausted in its possible uses throughout the house, minimizing the necessity for additional components that require wasteful shipping and packaging. The secondary infill material is used through both structures, on the floors, walls and ceilings to unify the old and the new.
Using new technologies to fabricate customized panels from a standard product accomplishes several things: less material is necessary to achieve greater structural strength, multiple programs can be integrated into one material, waste is minimized resulting in a more effective approach to sustainability, and the dialogue between the existing and new structural systems elevates the experience of inhabiting the space.
Sagaponack
Lot size: 2 acres
Building size: 8965 sq. ft.
Location: Sagaponack, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Photographer: Michael Moran
Contractor: Wright & Co. Construction
Interior Designer: Bates Masi Architects
Landscape Architect: Stephen Stimson
Located between the Atlantic Ocean and a freshwater pond, this residence is for an adventurous couple and their four sons. They wanted a house for their large family and numerous guests with a lawn, swimming pool, pool house, garage, and sports courts on a site with a limited building envelope due to coastal and wetland zoning. The large program, relatively small footprint, and daunting regulations dictated a building envelope densely packed with program that stood as a barrier between the ocean and the pond. Thus the design process was one of subtraction rather than addition: carving away at the solid mass of the house to reconnect site features and views and to distill the experience of the place.
Spaces run the full width of the house with floor to ceiling sliding doors on both sides. The spaces create apertures through which views, light, and air completely penetrate the house, dissolving its mass. Passersby see directly through the house to the sky and landscape beyond. With the sliding doors open and recessed into the adjacent walls, interior spaces are transformed from formal rooms to open pavilions, merging seamlessly with the site.
To accommodate the extensive program spaces are nested within one another. Operable partitions pull out from the walls of the living room, carving out a media room within the living room when privacy is desired. Conversely, with the partitions open, the media room merges with the living room for large gatherings. The thickness of the wall separating the dining room and kitchen is also cut away, utilizing its depth to accommodate a wine rack that also functions as a light fixture.
The process of carving is applied at the material and detail level as well. The 5/8” corten steel plate that clads the base of the house is waterjet cut into a delicate pattern that defies its mass. Inside, corian is employed for the ease with which it can be milled. Corian countertops are cut to form towel bars, bunk bed frames are carved to create ladders, cabinet doors are recessed to form handles, and wainscoting is subtly etched with meaningful words chosen by the clients.
Materials were chosen not only for their workability, but also for their durability in the coastal environment. Corten steel siding is zero maintenance despite being relentlessly sandblasted by the wind. Cedar siding and screens are finished using a Victorian technique in which the iron sulfate in a blend of white vinegar and iron filings reacts with the tannins in wood, creating an ebony finish that penetrates through the material and will not require refinishing. The lack of harsh stains or finishes reduces the ecological footprint of the house. Geothermal heating and cooling as well as vegetated roofs further reduce the environmental impact.
Using the design approach of sculpting away rather than building up, the house is pared down until the experience of the extraordinary site is dominant.
Promised Land
Lot size: 1.25 acres
Building size: 4135 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Promised Land
Lot size: 1.25 acres
Building size: 4135 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
Promised Land
Lot size: 1.25 acres
Building size: 4135 sq. ft.
Location: Amagansett, NY
Program: Single Family Residence
Project Narrative Forthcoming
