Project: Island House
Architects: Peter Rose + Partners
Location: Edgartown, Massachusetts, USA
Area: 6300 sqft
Photographs by: Matthew Snyder
Island House by Peter Rose + Partners
The island of Chappaquiddick near Edgartown in Massachusetts is the home of a modern single-family residence called the Island House. Peter Rose + Partners are the architects behind this enthusiastic project which is comprised of four structures including the main residence, garage, a storage shed and a boat house. On the eastern side of the house is a shallow bay while the ocean extends to the west.
From the architects: “Nestled in the richly wooded grounds of a narrow strip of land on the island of Chappaquiddick near Edgartown, Massachusetts, this single‐family residence is part of a collection of environment‐ and landscape‐centric interventions that blur the boundaries between structures and landscape, and between inside and outside. Comprised of four structures – a 6,300 SF main residence, a 630 SF garage, a 270 SF storage shed, and a 130 SF boat house – the site is bounded by the ocean to the west and by a well‐protected, shallow bay to the east. The project replaced a house, garage/guest house, and a long driveway running through a meadow, previously located on the site.”
In order to complete this project, the road that was previously located in the middle of an existing meadow had to be moved to a new location through a nearby oak and pine forest. This resulted in a remarkable entry to the house led through the forest while also hiding any cars immediately as they leave the home.
Due to the extreme placement near the edges of the site, the main house and the boat house have been carefully and strategically located to optimize the experience of using these structures with little to no visual impact on the actual site.
The boathouse is masterfully hidden among the pine trees without touching a single branch of the trees while the house is in main plan.
The house itself offers breathtaking views of Nantucket and an exclusive view of the sunrise over Cape Pogue Bay to the east. For the sunset, you are going to have to look out on the west side to see the sun dipping in the ocean.
The Plans
