Long Island, New York

AO is currently designing a new home on the east end of Long Island that abuts an expansive agricultural reserve which will be left undeveloped in perpetuity.   Spending time on site, we noticed  the rhythmic wafting of the tall grasses in the field is evocative of the soothing cadence of gentle ocean surf. The home is sited to embrace this view and invites the reserve into the property. The simple house forms are arranged to create floor-through vistas between airy interior spaces to diverse exterior gardens developed with the help of our landscape designer Laguardia Design Group.  The loose, ‘wild’ meadow flows right up to the home on the reserve side while on the interior we have just one very discreet and manicured ‘lawn panel’ strip that registers with the strong geometry of the entry breezeway buffering the tennis court located just to the north. Second floor overhangs create different outdoor spaces that will be used at different times of the day, as one either follows the sun or shelters from the wind.

The interior is visually quiet and relies on textures and natural materials to provide comfortable, soft, yet durable rooms. The spaces differ in character, scale and level of privacy to the outside.  The project will have an intense solar program and will be using geo-thermal ground source heat pumps for the heating and cooling needs creating an extremely efficient home that greatly exceeds conventional building practices. Clad in naturally weathering Alaskan Yellow Cedar the home is thoughtfully detailed to age gracefully and settle into the local environment rich in agrarian character.