The Gansett Lane residence is located on a restrictive corner lot set among mature plantings within walking distance of the beach. This renovation and addition has been constructed using green technology and passive solar design.  Scope for the renovation included gutting the house while keeping or reusing as many elements and structure as possible. The existing house, a crumbling 1970s Sears and Roebucks kit was poorly built, but had modernist bones.  Conceived for a New York artist, the final design transformed the home into a light-filled refuge of a modest size. After the town awarded an Artist's "declaration" to the owner, an accessory loft studio was built.

The palette of materials consists of subtle natural tones, including stained cedar lap siding, concrete forms, antiqued white oak, bluestone and rough hewn hand split cedar. The house is crafted so that materials both inside and outside are arranged on a grid. Together with the landscaping, a vanishing edge waterfall pond and the proposed architectural forms have been designed to relate and contrast in material, color, and texture, to form a rich experience of indoor and outdoor spaces.

The structures on the property were positioned to create several garden spaces of differing size and character while responding to solar orientation and the positions of existing mature planting. 

A range of interior spaces are produced consisting of a generous double-height public space surrounded by intimate areas engaging the various adjacent garden spaces containing elements such as trellises, a pond, and pool.  Design coherence is regulated by the use of a grid, which is evident in the dimensions of structural elements and interior and exterior cladding.

The client requested a modernist beach house with a large play area, a number of bedrooms and a separate artist’s studio.  The design team agreed a number of goals with the client to guide the design of the project.  For example, a private setting would be established with a peaceful and serene series of outdoor rooms on the corner lot.  Furthermore, materials such as timber cladding and structural elements were to express their natural finishes.

In response to its context, the house references the modest scale and materiality of the mid-century houses prevalent in the community.  Environmentally beneficial strategies employed in the scheme include passive solar shading, the use of advanced green technologies, and the preservation of mature trees on the site boundary to ensure visual appeal, privacy, seasonal control of sun and winds, and respecting natural habitats and biodiversity.