Architects' best residential work
Stay tuned to see who will win the New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ awards in January.
The New Hampshire chapter of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIANH) annual Excellence in Architecture Design Awards Program is marking its thirty-first year of honoring outstanding architecture. The awards program is juried by out-of-state architects who select the winning projects based on overall design excellence, including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance and appropriateness with regard to the client’s vision. AIANH member architects are eligible to submit projects anywhere in the world, while out-of-state AIA member architects can submit projects that are located in New Hampshire.
This year, eleven residential projects were submitted. Winners will be announced at the AIANH Awards Banquet on January 22 at LaBelle Winery in Amherst and published in the March issue of New Hampshire Home. Award winners will also be posted on the AIANH website, www.aianh.org, and featured in the annual Awards Book, published by the AIANH chapter.
In the meantime, the submissions are posted online at www.aianh.org and viewers can cast a ballot as part of the People’s Choice award program. After the banquet, all submissions will be part of a statewide traveling exhibition.
Fernwood Landing in Lake Sunapee
Photography by John W. Hession
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC, in New London
(603) 526-6200
www.boninarchitects.com
Architect: Jeremy Bonin, AIA, LEED AP
Landscape Architect: Greg Rusnica of Bonin Architects & Associates
General Contractor: Old Hampshire Designs in New London
Interior Designer: Mary Ann Coffey Interiors, Inc. in Providence, Rhode Island
Within the rugged exterior of the house lies an equally robust construction: a well-sealed and drained exterior behind the stone and shingles; spray-foam insulation; high-quality clad anodized windows; an HVAC system of low-velocity heating and cooling run by ground-source heat pumps with a balanced HRV system; hybrid domestic hot-water
heaters; and locally sourced materials.
The home is designed for single-story living, important as the clients’ plan to age in place and the family is accommodating a set of parents living in the home.
The entry court uses modern construction techniques to capture stormwater while maintaining an aesthetic true to the character of the home. Intimate outdoor spaces draw inspiration from the architecture and materials of the home, maximizing the long, southerly views toward Mount Sunapee.
Family Retreat in Harrisville
Photography by John W. Hession
Sheldon Pennoyer Architects in Concord
(603) 856-8994
www.spennoyerarchitects.com
Design Team: Sheldon Pennoyer, AIA, LEED AP, principal architect; Jasmine Pinto, project manager
Interior Designer: Cameron Schwabenton ASID, LEED AP, of Charleston, South Carolina
Contractor: Tim Groesbeck Builders in Sharon
Landscape Garden Designer: Gordon Hayward of Putney, Vermont
Number Four Farm Hill was the site of a poultry farm in the 1820s, surrounded by rolling fields. The architects worked with their client to develop a forestry-management plan that would enhance the wildlife habitat, provide all the interior hardwood flooring for the new house and open up views by creating additional meadows that had been lost over the years.
This project represents a high level of design while maintaining strict goals of energy efficiency. A 5.5 KW PV solar system was installed on the south-facing roof, which drives the hot water system. LED lighting was used to reduce electrical consumption.
The goal was to develop a design from the outside inward to create spaces that would successfully integrate architecture with the landscape. Outdoor gardens were designed to make transitions from views of Mount Monadnock to the south, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the west, and the foreground of existing and new meadows surrounding the house.
Lakeside Camp Makeover
Photography by John W. Hession
Christopher P. Williams Architects in Meredith
(603) 279-6513
www.cpwarchitects.com
Architects: Christopher P. Williams AIA, principal architect; Norman Larson, LEED AP, project architect
Landscape Designer: Design Plus, Inc. in Plymouth
General Contractor: White House Construction in Gilford
This circa 1900 Arts and Crafts home was beloved but didn’t meet modern needs. The original house was rebuilt with material upgrades and a focused reorganization of interior spaces to achieve something new that feels like it’s “always been there.”
Changes include a new two-story living room under a west-facing gable; a south-facing screened porch that expands the dining room; upper-level two-bedroom suites with shared baths; a new second-floor bedroom; and a lower-level walk-out space above and below an early service wing of the building. Also re-constructed were the shop and garage, the boathouse and a tiny painting studio.
Private Residence in Lincoln
Photography by Rob Karosis
Samyn–D’Elia Architects PA in Ashland
(603) 968-7133
www.sdarchitects.com
Architect: Tom Samyn, AIA
Landscape Designer: Pollack Land Planning in Concord
Interior Designer: C. Randolph Trainor, LLC in Franconia
Contractor: The Lawton Company in Littleton
This mountain home shares a property line with Loon Mountain ski resort and allows for ski-in, ski-out access to the mountain’s sixty-one trails. The unique location and challenging terrain informed the home’s siting, footprint, program, design, interior design, finishes and custom-made furniture. In formulating a design for the home, the architect, client and interior designer relied on their various personal backgrounds in skiing to aid in designing spaces that support and enhance the client’s ski experiences.
In answer to the site’s steep grade, architect Tom Samyn designed a wide, circular stair enclosed in a turret, providing access from the garage to the main level and an upper-level round office.
Read more about this home, A Retreat for Skiers, by Skiers.
The Lure of the Lake in New London
Photography courtesy of Katrina/Top Kat Photo Inc.
Frank Anzalone Associates in New London
(603) 526-8911
www.faa-arch.com
Architect: Frank Anzalone, AIA
Contractor: Talbot Builders in New London
When the back yard has one of the most beautiful views in town, it is natural to want to extend the living space outdoors. This home’s exterior living space—multi-level stone patios, a cozy screened-in porch and French swinging doors—allows enjoyment of the outdoors through three New Hampshire seasons.
Site construction was designed with minimal impact on the lake and surrounding environment. All materials, siding and roofing were designed to have a long lifespan with little or no maintenance, and the home’s wall system has an insulation system that is 50 percent greater than code requires. In addition to providing space for a growing family, the home was designed for accessibility in order to welcome visiting guests of all ages.
Private Residence in Hanover
Photography courtesy of Jim Westphalen
Haynes & Garthwaite Architects in Norwich, Vermont
(802) 649-3606
www.hgarchitects.com
Architect: Byron Haynes, AIA
Landscape Architect: Mary Zebell Garden Design & Site Planning in Ithaca, New York
Interior Design: Redmond Interior Design in Burlington, Vermont
This Shingle-style home at the edge of the Dartmouth College campus is sited at the top of a hill that slopes down to the Connecticut River. The design, massing and detailing allow the house to fit into the context of early twentieth-century buildings and break down the scale of the structure. A columned porch is a welcoming gesture to neighbors and responds to the pedestrian character of the neighborhood. The interior spaces flow in an open plan in which south-facing windows maximize solar gain and sunlight as well as provide views into the gardens.
Locally sourced stone and salvaged granite were used for landscaping and terraces; red birch, harvested in
Vermont, was used for flooring throughout the house. Local artists were commissioned to build decorative steel balcony railings and garden gates.
Lakeside Family Retreat
Christopher P. Williams Architects in Meredith
(603) 279-6513
www.cpwarchitects.com
Architect: Christopher P. Williams, AIA
Landscape Designer: Pellettieri Associates, Inc. in Warner
Interior Designer: Richard FitzGerald of Boston
General Contractor: White House Construction in Gilford
In 2008, the client bought a lot adjacent to the original home and tore down its existing house. The architect then designed an addition to the original house, taking advantage of two-hundred-plus degree lake views; adding a pavilion and boathouse; and making renovations to an original early-twentieth-century camp on the property.
The total site area is a few acres and has significant frontage on the lake. A screen of trees between the buildings and the lake frames views of the water from the house while hiding the buildings from the water.
Summer Serenity in Wolfeboro
Photography by Greg West
DeStefano | Architects in Portsmouth
(603) 431-8701
www.destefanoarchitects.com
Architect: DeStefano | Architects
Landscape Architect: HBLA Inc. in Portsmouth
Interior Designer: Urban Dwellings in Portland, Maine
Contractor: Lovering and Sons Builders in Wolfeboro
Every room in this house was designed to have a view of the water. A custom folding window system tucks into wall pockets, and blurs the barrier between inside and out. The hot tub and lap pool serve as agreeable middle ground between nature and residence—no outdoor debris is brought in, thanks to an elegant outdoor shower.
A state-of-the-art geothermal system keeps the home appropriately cool and warm. The entry and select bathrooms were also designed for potential retrofit for accessibility, and an elevator allows for the owner’s elderly father to stay in an upstairs suite.
The back yard is a pleasantly uneven surface with slices of stone walls and landscape details anchoring the home to the hillside, gently giving way to the water.
Lakeside Residence in the Lakes Region
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC, in New London
(603) 526-6200
www.boninarchitects.com
Architect: Jeremy Bonin, AIA, LEED AP
General Contractor: Old Hampshire Designs in New London
This home is designed to maximize multi-use spaces, creating a compact and efficient design, while providing views through the home upon approach, encouraging both visual and physical movement toward the lake.
Goals such as minimizing the footprint, reducing site impact, crafting spaces to draw one outdoors and reducing dependence on fossil fuels logically follow this principle. A superior envelope, a high-efficiency geothermal heat pump, on-demand hot water heaters, LED lighting, stormwater management, a charging station for the homeowner’s electric car and rooftop photovoltaic panels are examples of addressing these goals.
Concord Master Bath Renovation
(Small Projects/Small Firms Category)
Cowan | Goudreau Architects PLLC in Concord
(603) 226-3900
www.cgarchs.com
Architect: Cowan | Goudreau Architects PLLC
Builder: Chris Hardy Builders in Webster
The design of this master bath suite allowed easy access and aging-in-place accommodations. The nautilus shell curve provides a doorless entry while capturing water inside the shower. Multiple grab bars are used as towel racks throughout the space to provide a stabilizing handhold within easy reach. The cork flooring is warm, soft on the feet and does not absorb water. Lever handles are used on the vanity sinks and shower controls, and one of the two showerheads is a handheld. One set of doors below the vanity can be removed for wheelchair accessibility, if needed.
Straws Point Residence in Rye
CJ Architects in Portsmouth
(603) 431-2808
www.cjarchitects.net
Architect: CJ Architects
General Contractor: Chinburg Properties in Newmarket
Landscape Architect: Terra Firma Landscape Architecture in Kittery, Maine
The restoration of this vintage waterfront home preserves the integrity of the original cottage while converting the interior into an open-concept space with a clean-line design in demand by current lifestyles. The contemporary pool house complements the main house and reinvents the original style.
