Project Details
- Project Name
- Georgica Cove
- Location
- NY
- Architect
- Bates Masi + Architects
- Project Types
- Single Family
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 6,500 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2017
- Shared by
- Madeleine D'Angelo
- Project Status
- Built
This project was selected as a winner in the 2019 Residential Architect Design Awards
Custom Home / More Than 3,000 Square Feet, Citation
Local firm Bates Masi + Architects turned to the precedent of farm structures when conceiving this 6,500-square-foot single-family residence facing East Hampton, N.Y.’s Georgica Cove. Organized as a compound of totemic steep-roofed gabled structures, the four-building complex on a 2.2-acre site opens toward a pond on the west side of the property, while presenting an opaque face to the road and entry driveway.
The iconic gable of the garage greets visitors who arrive via the driveway at the east end of the house; they enter the complex through a central courtyard. The gables of the other three structures run north–south, with a hybridized double gable defining the two larger structures. The central volume houses formal dining and living rooms within a double-height space, while the two-story south block has a family room, casual dining room, and kitchen on the first floor, with three bedroom suites above. The north wing has a master bedroom suite and office on the first floor with another bedroom suite above.
Separate mechanical systems allow the owners to control the energy use of the complex depending on occupancy. A white marble plinth keeps the buildings above the surrounding flood plain while sand-filled dry wells beneath accept stormwater runoff.
The clear interest in local vernacular traditions didn’t hinder the architect’s ingenuity, as they’ve recast simple farm structures with old materials presented in new ways: The lightly stained gray cedar exteriors unify the complex through minimal means. Gabled ends are clad in thin vertical cedar strips, while roofs and sidewalls receive board siding that blurs the distinction between surfaces—an intentional reference to traditional shakes and shingles, but rendered in oversized pieces that clarify the complex’s contemporary vintage.
Project Credits
Location: East Hampton, N.Y.
Client: Withheld
Architect: Bates Masi + Architects, East Hampton, N.Y. . Paul Masi, AIA (lead design partner); Daniel Widlowski, Jack Booton (project architects)
Interior Designer: Erica Millar Designs
Structural/Civil Engineer: Steven Maresca
General Contractor: John Hummel & Associates Custom Builders
Landscape Architect: J. Mendoza Gardens
Size: 6,500 square feet
Cost: Withheld
Materials and Sources
Appliances: Miele; Viking; Wolf; Thermador
Bathroom Fixtures: Toto; Kohler
Cabinets: Custom
Countertops: Stone
Flooring: Oak
Kitchen Fixtures: Custom
Paints/Finishes: Benjamin Moore
Windows/Doors: Arcadia
This article appeared in the September 2018 issue of Builder magazine.
2018 Builder's Choice & Custom Home Design Awards
Custom Home—5,000 Square Feet or More, Grand
Making anew the historical typology of the shingle-style homes and barns that line East Hampton, N.Y., Bates Masi + Architects designed Georgica Cove to be both pastoral and modern, suited for an extended family that often expands and contracts. For the design of the house, which is situated in a cove overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the clients asked the local architects to design a living environment that would be as cozy for the couple alone as it is for a full house of overnight guests including children, grandchildren, and friends.
The firm conceptualized a geometric, interconnected series of structures, innovated from the vernacular building traditions of New England’s connected farms. The architectural style of the original property was preserved and applied to two new, subsequent buildings to unify assembly of the triad. Cedar partitions created both separation and connection between each volume’s purpose: house to kitchen, kitchen to woodshop, and woodshop to barn. Each structure is offset and rotated away from the next to allow for maximum privacy and sunlight, and to establish public and private sectors arranged around the central courtyard that’s framed with oversized sliding doors. An independent mechanical system in each structure preserves energy by making it possible to shut down electrical use in unoccupied units.
A limited materials palette spotlights local cedar shingles scaled up to clad roofs and sidewalls, and screens whittled from the same wood provide privacy and filter light. A marble plinth filled with sand responds to the local climate by both elevating the house above the flood plain and creating dry wells for stormwater runoff. Careful millwork complements the region’s historical expressions, and unifies the paths that materially and visually link the farm-inspired façades.
Project Description
This project won an award from the 2019 AIA Housing Awards
FROM THE AIA:
A couple with property on a cove overlooking the ocean asked for a house that would be comfortable for just the two of them the majority of the time. However, with their love of entertaining, the house had to grow on busy weekends to accommodate their children, grandchildren, and guests. To instill the desired sense of comfort and peace, it was also important that the design blend with the pastoral setting and vernacular building traditions: predominantly shingle style homes that are often built and added to over time. Historic precedent studies revealed that referencing New England connected farms in an innovative way could achieve both goals.
The program is divided into personal, guest, and public areas. The spaces are arranged around a courtyard to create visual and physical connections between them, but these connections can be broken by large sliding doors. Independent mechanical systems in each building allow it to be shut down when unoccupied.
As with connected farms, a limited palette of materials and details unifies the various spaces and responds to the local climate. The cedar shingles common to local buildings are scaled up to the size of boards to cover the roof and sidewalls. A limestone plinth filled with sand elevates the house above the floodplain while also creating drywells to accept storm water runoff. Oak floors and millwork throughout unify the spaces.
Project Credits:
Project: Georgica Cove
Architect: Bates Masi + Architects
Structural Engineer: Steven Maresca
General Contractor: John Hummel and Associates Custom Builders
Landscape Architect: J. Mendoza Gardens
Interior Designer: Erica Millar Designs
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
A couple with property on a cove overlooking the ocean asked for a house that would be comfortable for just the two of them the majority of the time. However, with their love of entertaining, the house had to grow on busy weekends to accommodate their children, grandchildren, and guests. To instill the desired sense of comfort and peace, it was also important that the design blend with the pastoral setting and vernacular building traditions: predominantly shingle style homes and barns that are often built and added to over time. Historic precedent studies revealed that referencing New England connected farms in an innovative way could achieve both goals.
Connected farms aggregated over time, interconnecting multiple buildings with distinct uses. The architectural style of the house was applied to subsequent buildings to unify the assembly, but partitions within provided the necessary separation between uses: house to kitchen, kitchen to shop, and shop to barn for instance. One volume was often offset or rotated from the next to provide greater access to light, air, and privacy from the other functions. Following that example, the program of this house is divided into owners’ bedroom and office, eat-in kitchen and family room, formal living and dining, and guest rooms. The spaces are arranged around a courtyard to create visual and physical connections between them but those connections can be broken by large sliding doors. Each structure has an independent mechanical system allowing it to be shut down when unoccupied. This allows the livability of the house to expand and contract whether the couple is alone, hosting dinner guests, or has a full house of overnight guests.
As with connected farms, a limited palette of materials and details unifies the various spaces and responds to the local climate. The cedar shingles common to local buildings are scaled up to the size of boards to cover the roof and sidewalls. Cedar screens provide privacy and filter light. A marble plinth filled with sand elevates the house above the floodplain while also creating drywells to accept storm water runoff. Oak floors and millwork throughout unify the spaces.
The design repurposes the historic typology of the connected farm to suit the very timely needs of the site and the family. By acknowledging the area’s history and tradition of building, this home is an evolution of its cultural expression.