TsAO & McKOWN Architects - House at Sagaponac in Wainscott, New York

Friday, 29 May 2009 07:37

Another project within our series featuring the recipients of the 2009 AIA Housing Award. According to the Architects, his primary challenge was to design for the needs of a yet-to-be-determined client.

Another significant issue was how to root the house to the earth; the nearly flat site in a young growth forest offered no footing. The architects responded by reshaping the topography, establishing the first level slightly below grade and sculpting the surrounding terrain into a gentle rise.

Photographs by Michael Moran Photography, Inc.

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The house functions (physically and psychically) on multiple levels - as much an intimate retreat for two (or one) as an accommodating host to an extended family (or numerous guests) - thus promoting multiple, overlapping narratives.

The jury of the 2009 AIA Housing Award had the following comments:

"Nice architectural composition; one of the more effective means of dealing with the ground plane by creating space above and below—rotating a cubic volume on top which sets off the entire site plan, while simultaneously taking into account solar orientation."

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Project Credits:

Project: House at Sagaponac - Wainscott, New York

Architect: TsAO & McKOWN Architects
Owner: Andrew & Jennifer Isikoff
Engineer: Robert Silman Associates, P.C.
General Contractor: Reinhardt & O'Brien
Landscape Architect: Marders
Other: Abraham Joselow Consulting Engineers, William Armstrong Design

Photo Credit: Michael Moran Photography, Inc.

Material for this article courtesy of the AIA.