Year: 2020
Status: Completed
Location: Cape Neddick, ME
Narrow, irregular, or constrained lots are rarely considered as a potential condition one must contend with when designing for rural areas, yet the site for this project possesses exactly these qualities. Although the house sits on a remote, 4 acre swath of forest next to a river, total allowable building area for House in Maine is only slightly over 600 sq. ft. of steeply sloped, densely wooded land. As a design-build project, there was the added opportunity of being directly involved in the construction process on this challenging site. The small house is built on a platform supported by ten posts, allowing the project to avoid unnecessarily complex or expensive structure and overly destructive excavation. Played against the volume of the vernacular house, the project oscillates between scales by employing stock, off-the-shelf materials and products. Windows and doors are proportionally larger or smaller than expected, offering opportunities for both intimacy as well as open views to the surrounding landscape. Metal siding typically used in large agricultural structures wraps the exterior. Fence panels give the illusion of added volume when viewed frontally. Overall, the effects produce spatial variety despite the small size through an economy of means.
Status: Completed
Location: Cape Neddick, ME
Narrow, irregular, or constrained lots are rarely considered as a potential condition one must contend with when designing for rural areas, yet the site for this project possesses exactly these qualities. Although the house sits on a remote, 4 acre swath of forest next to a river, total allowable building area for House in Maine is only slightly over 600 sq. ft. of steeply sloped, densely wooded land. As a design-build project, there was the added opportunity of being directly involved in the construction process on this challenging site. The small house is built on a platform supported by ten posts, allowing the project to avoid unnecessarily complex or expensive structure and overly destructive excavation. Played against the volume of the vernacular house, the project oscillates between scales by employing stock, off-the-shelf materials and products. Windows and doors are proportionally larger or smaller than expected, offering opportunities for both intimacy as well as open views to the surrounding landscape. Metal siding typically used in large agricultural structures wraps the exterior. Fence panels give the illusion of added volume when viewed frontally. Overall, the effects produce spatial variety despite the small size through an economy of means.