House on a Bay

Southport, Maine

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House on a Bay, a collaboration with Elliott Architects, was awarded a Residential Design Award, Citation: Ecology & Energy by the Boston Society of Architects, along with awards by AIA Maine and AIA New York. The landscape design for this oceanfront residence emerged from the divergent landscape typologies on site, and in response to the rotated architectural volumes. Site walls emerge from the lower volume of the house, dividing the site into quadrants: a restored wetland, a shady, forested ledge garden, a meadow that opens to the ocean, and a quiet forest floor. A generous entry walkway and two-level deck are organized by the emerging architectural walls, inviting a heightened experience of these juxtaposed landscapes. The constraints of the wetlands, topography, and ledge, as well as a desire to optimize the water and woodland views required careful positioning of the house and driveway. Our design combines  several smaller wetlands, which results in a richer, healthier ecosystem with daylighted surface waterflow and provides additional privacy to the southerly neighbor.