Winnipesaukee Residence

Having spent many summers in a small uninsulated camp in the woods on Lake Winnipesaukee, the Owners dreamed of a sustainable year-round house that their four young children could grow up in, and that could also be used by the extended family and guests. It would be nestled into the woods, close enough to the lake to appreciate the views and sounds of the water, while maintaining privacy and not attracting undue attention from boaters.

This site is perched on the edge of Lake Winnipesaukee, with mesmerizing views to both an inner cove and the expanse of the lake. Equally stunning are the quiet views into the deep woods, with no other houses in sight. Wetland areas, shoreline, and property setbacks presented numerous siting challenges on the expansive and heavily wooded lot. Additionally, the thick woods and north-facing slope created a challenge for daylight and passive solar heating. The form and organization of the house were deftly manipulated to fit within the area formed by these site forces, and the interior programmatic layout shifts and jogs to accommodate the site.

The building form evolved into two distinct wings to allow both communal space and private retreat. Large public areas are balanced by nooks and intimately scaled adjacent spaces, to provide a variety of settings in which to enjoy Nature.

The entry space was positioned at the junction between the public and private areas of the house, and was conceived as a lower, contained space with only a sliver of a view, creating a moment of suspense before entering the expansive living area. To the left is the soaring living, dining, kitchen space; and to the right a double-height stair hall with pine-clad bridge that sits at the intersection of the two primary wings and anchors the center of the house.

Upstairs, the double-height space separates an intimate study and sleeping rooms on one side, from the expansive bunk room that sleeps 8 children on the other.

Sustainability was paramount, and the design team utilized a combination of passive solar strategies, geothermal heating, and an advanced double-walled, super-insulated envelope design to minimize resource usage. With passive house principles in mind, the exteriors were designed to balanced highly insulated solid walls with judiciously placed voids, using monumentally scaled triple-pane windows to create large dramatic gestures and views at important moments in the house. Insulated concrete forms (ICF) foundations support the house.

The house wraps a lakeside outdoor space and firepit which are an extension of the living area and connect to a small level "beach" area with a dock. The outdoor spaces feature low-maintenance, locally sourced native ground coverings, and are accented by reclaimed boulders from the building excavation. The lakefront treeline was left intact, satisfying the Owner’s desire for privacy, and to avoid scarring the landscape.

The exterior cladding features a traditional dutch-lap siding profile in a contemporary, stacked pattern, cut at modular intervals in order to limit waste, and accented with a pattern of metal reveals. The middle connector is accented with copper standing seam metal, accentuating the node between the two primary wings of the house.