Architects' Best Homes
The New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects chooses its annual awards in the residential category in January.
The New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects chooses its annual awards in the residential category in January.
The New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIANH’s) annual Excellence in Architecture Design Awards Program is now in its twenty-ninth year. This program provides public and professional recognition for outstanding architecture as determined by a jury and based on overall design excellence, including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance and appropriateness with regard to the client’s vision.
This year, fourteen projects were submitted in the residential category, along with twenty-two commercial, educational and municipal project submissions.
AIANH member architects are eligible to submit projects anywhere in the world, while out-of-state member architects can submit projects that are located in New Hampshire.
The jurors for the 2013 program were Derek Bradford, AIA, Bradford Associates in Providence, Rhode Island; Douglas Kallfelz, AIA, and Stephanie Zurek, AIA, from Union Studio Architects in Providence; and Megan Moynihan, AIA, from Oyster Works in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Following is an overview of the residential submissions with descriptions of the projects provided by the architects. Winners will be announced at the AIANH Awards Banquet, scheduled for January 11 at the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford. The results are planned to be announced in the March/April issue of New Hampshire Home and, when possible, winning projects will be featured in upcoming issues.
In the meantime, all submissions are on view at the New Hampshire Institute of Art through January 10. The public can also view the submissions online at aianh.org and can cast a ballot as part of the People’s Choice award program. After the banquet, the winners will be posted on the AIANH website and be part of a traveling exhibition through the state in 2013.
Night Pasture Farm
Photography by John W. Hession
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC in New London
526-6200
boninarchitects.com
Architect: Jeremy Bonin, AIA, LEED AP
Builder: Randy Keating
The clients sought a unique home: timber framed yet “barn-like.” The visible structure—the sense of strength and comfort of wood—was something they felt strongly about. The clients preferred connected spaces for entertaining and appreciating the view.
The three-bedroom house consists of an open kitchen, dining and living space surrounding the central hearth and chimney. The chimney and timber frame define, enclose and shelter the space similar to the tree canopy the clients described.
The first floor contains living areas as well as the laundry, master suite, pantry and half bath. The second floor has two bedrooms, a bathroom and an office/loft overlooking the great room. Space over the garage was utilized for the clients’ love of music.
Lake Sunapee Residence
Photography courtesy of Peter Kubilus
Miller & Wright Architects in New York, NY
(212) 343-0034
millerwrightarchitects.com
Architect: Robert Miller, AIA
Construction manager: G.R. Porter & Sons, Inc.
The original home on this Lake Sunapee site was designed in 1916 by Prentice Sanger with several structures casually assembled around the site: a main living area, two asymmetrical wings, a small lighthouse, a storage barn, a carriage house and an ice house.
Miller & Wright Architects fully renovated the existing house, reconfiguring all floor plans and interior finishes as well as adding to the west (lake) side of the house. All the windows are designed to follow the original Sanger French casement window with their diamond-shaped lights. A series of new French doors and double-hung windows was added across the west elevation of the house to provide panoramic lake views. Throughout the house, walls and ceilings (added inconsistently over the years) were removed; shed and gambrel dormers were added across the front to create open spaces and offer much needed natural light.
The architects designed a new vestibule and dining room to connect the kitchen and family room. The new fireplace is made from rubble-stone collected around the site and maintains the feeling of the original rubble-stone fireplace. Re-claimed cedar shingles along the interior walls emphasize the cottage and Shingle Style look and original design.
North Country Home
Photography by John W. Hession
Samyn D’Elia Architects, P.A. in Ashland
968-7133
sdarchitects.com
Architect: Tom Samyn, AIA
Landscape architect: Pollock Land Planning
Construction manager: The Lawton Company
This 6,363-square-foot residence is on a site with exquisite mountain views. The architect took advantage of this with siting as well as exterior and interior spaces that are designed to “open up” the home to the mountains beyond.
Highlights of the Douglas fir, timber-framed home include expansive decks; covered and screened porches; a large patio area with an outdoor fieldstone; a porte cochère; a seven-foot-high granite boulder serving as the center point for the driveway turnaround; a landscape design featuring indigenous plants and trees to prevent erosion; an open plan interior with a two-story native stone fireplace anchoring the great room; a balcony reading room; a master bedroom suite; custom-stained cherry floors; a climate-controlled wine storage room; and sustainable design elements and systems throughout, allowing the home to exceed New Hampshire’s Energy Star requirements.
Woodland Retreat
Photography courtesy of Joseph St. Pierre
CJ Architects in Portsmouth
431-2808
cjarchitects.net
Architect: Carla Goodknight AIA, principal
General contractor: YFI Custom Homes
After spending many summers on this wooded site in Maine, the owners wished to build a retirement home there that is respectful of the natural landscape. To that end, living spaces have been carefully designed around existing vegetation, preserving as many mature trees as possible.
Windows are arranged to capture natural light from the south as well as views of the pond and wooded vistas to the north. Cathedral ceilings, balconies and an open plan combine to best suit the owners’ lifestyle and interact with the surrounding forest.
Wood shakes and a stone-clad base aid in blending the house with the natural elements of the site.
Hillside Home
Photography courtesy of Great Island
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC, in New London
526-6200
boninarchitects.com
Architect: Jeremy Bonin, AIA, LEED AP
Builder: Old Hampshire Designs, Inc.
Beauty and energy efficiency came together in this home, designed to meet the client’s goals for environmental stewardship, lakeside living, accommodating extended family stays and entertaining friends. The Douglas-fir keyed beams provide beauty, a post-free open floor plan and the backbone for the structural insulated panels (SIPs).
Based on years of research, the clients knew that SIPs, solar hot water collection and a geothermal heating system were the means to lower energy costs and dependence on fossil fuels. Cabinets and finish materials were sourced from New Hampshire and Vermont companies, and the sealants, adhesives and paints are low- or no-VOC products. The majority of lighting is LED, furthering the home’s already low energy consumption.
Lakeside Family Retreat
Photography courtesy of Great Island Photography, LLC
Frank Anzalone Associates in New London
526-8911
faa-arch.com
Architect: Frank Anzalone, AIA
Construction manager: Prospect Hill Construction
This energy-efficient, lakeside retreat was designed to provide a place for a young family to spend time together, as well as a space for friends and family to make everlasting memories. Numerous low-maintenance features allow for more time spent enjoying the many outdoor activities the Lake Sunapee area has to offer.
The open floor plan, easy access to the lake and the views of the lake make this home feel much larger than its compact floor plan. With fine stonework and natural wood throughout (both interior and exterior), this home incorporates the rustic character of a grand New Hampshire “camp.” The home’s timeless and inviting interior ensures it will be a gathering place for generations to come.
North Shore Estate
Photography courtesy of Rixon Architectural Photography
TMS Architects in Portsmouth
436-4274
tms-architects.com
Project architects: Rob Carty, AIA, principal architect; Kraig Kurtenbach, AIA, project manager
General contractor: Windover Construction
Beauty and energy efficiency came together in this home, designed to meet the client’s goals for environmental stewardship, lakeside living, accommodating extended family stays and entertaining friends. The Douglas-fir keyed beams provide beauty, a post-free open floor plan and the backbone for the structural insulated panels (SIPs).
Based on years of research, the clients knew that SIPs, solar hot water collection and a geothermal heating system were the means to lower energy costs and dependence on fossil fuels. Cabinets and finish materials were sourced from New Hampshire and Vermont companies, and the sealants, adhesives and paints are low- or no-VOC products. The majority of lighting is LED, furthering the home’s already low energy consumption.
Nubanusit Lake House
Photography courtesy of Great Island Photography, LLC
Sheldon Pennoyer Architects in Concord
856-8994
spennoyerarchitects.com
Project architect: Renee Fair, LEED AP
Design team: Sheldon Pennoyer, AIA, LEED AP;
David O’Neil, AIA; Renee Fair, LEED AP
Landscape design: Simpson Landscape Co.
Builder: James C. Moore Builders
A 2,948-square-foot house designed as a family retreat at the edge of Nubanusit Lake brought a local family back home after ten years in Ohio.
The waterfront site presented a challenge with an elevation change of 30 feet from the road to the water in less than 120 feet. The major design accomplishment was to bring the visitor from the street level down one level via an open-stair tower and connector to the front door.
The main floor of the house allowed for a consolidated plan of a dining room and living room overlooking the kitchen. A strategically located screened porch, adjacent to the living room, provides sheltered outdoor living and access to a terrace overlooking the lake. Sweeping roofs with deep overhangs, as well as a series of rock walls and terraced gardens, express the connection between the built and natural environments.
Peterborough Retreat
Photography courtesy of Joseph St. Pierre
Sheldon Pennoyer Architects in Concord
856-8994
spennoyerarchitects.com
Project architect: Renee Fair, LEED AP
Design team: Sheldon Pennoyer, AIA, LEED AP;
David O’Neil, AIA; Renee Fair, LEED AP
Landscape architect: Shepard Butler Landscape Architecture
Contractor: Groesbeck Construction
This family compound is located on a wooded knoll overlooking open fields and the distant hills east of Peterborough. The home is designed to accommodate a young family’s informal gatherings but also to house period furniture, portraits and a library handed down by the past generation. A centrally located kitchen opens to a large family room, an informal eating area and a protected terrace. A formal dining room, study and three-sided upstairs sleeping porch for six provide continuity with the past. A barn, anchoring the opposite side of an entry courtyard, frames a view of Mount Monadnock.
Mount Wachusett House
Photography courtesy of Harriet Wise
Daniel V. Scully/Architects in Keene
357-4544
scully-architects.com
Architects: Eric Lewtas, project manager; Daniel V. Scully, principal
Contractor: Grzyb Builders, Inc.
The goal of this project was to restore an original 1920s summer house and highlight its best features. The architects began by removing additions that had buried the original house so that the mass of the original house could be read more clearly. Lewtas and Scully created a roofline that unified the additions and acted as a foil to the mass of the original house, instead of hiding and blurring it.
All the original beadboard in the living room was saved, as was the fieldstone fireplace—the “Treasure Box” of the house. The triangular inset of the Eames Room became an outdoor skylight, lighting the entry approach.
The modest size of the house was maintained; it has a small master bedroom, very small bedrooms and an original tub bathroom upstairs. The footprint of the house was virtually unchanged in the renovation.
Meredith Bay Townhomes
Photography courtesy of Blind Dog Photo Associates
CJ Architects in Portsmouth
431-2808
cjarchitects.net
Architect: Carla J. Goodknight, AIA, principal
General contractor: Northwest Communities
Built on a hillside cascading down to the banks of Lake Winnipesaukee, the living spaces of these four townhome units are designed to emulate the landscape. Cathedral ceilings, open stairways, as well as lakeside decks and balconies for each floor, capture the essence of a custom waterfront home in a townhouse model.
Stone veneer detailing as well as heavy timber post and beam porches combine to create a classic New England-vacation style on the exterior.
A connection to the Meredith Bay development provides access to amenities, such as marina membership and community pools, and a separate series of nearby mid-rise buildings offers the option of single-level living.
West Concord Town Homes
Photography courtesy of Corey Garland
John S. Jordan Design in Canterbury
753-6920
Architect: John Jordan, AIA
Contractor: Mark Carrier Construction
As an increasing number of historic buildings in the state’s capital face the wrecking ball, John S. Jordan Design and Mark Carrier Construction, Inc. teamed up to renovate the West Concord School, built in 1862, into four condominiums.
Today, the two-story, five-thousand-square-foot building is being brought back to its original grandeur, retaining its historic brick and granite exteriors, decorative woodwork, mansard roofs and arched windows openings. While the refurbished exterior remains virtually identical to its original construction, the interior has been completely rebuilt to house four contemporary condos. Each two-bedroom unit has high ceilings, original hardwood floors, generously sized windows and state-of-the-art building services, including a complete fire sprinkler system.
Lincoln Hill House
Photography courtesy of Joseph St. Pierre
Sheldon Pennoyer Architects in Concord
856-8994
spennoyerarchitects.com
Project architect: Jasmine Pinto
Design team: Sheldon Pennoyer, AIA, LEED AP; David O’Neil, AIA; Jasmine Pinto
Construction manager: Creative Carpentry
Sitting on a rocky knoll overlooking the Cambridge Reservoir, this new house works with steep topography and granite outcroppings to take advantage of the natural wooded landscape. The plan is laid out as a vertical series of spaces beginning with the entry foyer and leading up to the main living floor, which connects to an outdoor area. The bedrooms are located on the third floor and are defined by dormers within the main roof. At the entry courtyard, a garage sits over a future in-law apartment. The interior detailing is simple and modern. The exterior expression is New England vernacular. Large overhangs and curved rooves give the sense of shelter.
Library Addition
Photography courtesy of David Norton
Pinnacle Hill Architects, PLLC, in Freedom
539-6811
Architect: Richard G. Holt, AIA
Contractor: Cormack Construction
The homeowners—retiring professors of architecture, history of art and the classics—needed to house their extensive book collection as well as to provide a relaxed working environment for continued study and writing professional papers and books.
Because the home’s location allowed for expansion only to the east and up a slope, the design solution was to remove the existing garage roof, add a second floor and attach the porch.
To avoid exposing the library contents to direct sunlight, natural light is provided through windows in a roof monitor. The windows are shaded by the deep eaves of a gently curved roof. Access to the library is from the master bedroom suite, providing privacy and separation from the public areas of the house. The library also opens out onto the porch where a bridge provides an on-grade path of egress from the topmost level of the house.
