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home : make : dwelling
Since our last post about a new prototype suite of dwellings we’re developing for New England, we’ve been busy trying to perfect just one: the medium-sized (M) version in a series that will eventually include an XS, S, M, and L. If you missed the first chapter of this story on the topic of place, it can be found on our website: https://www.noreliusstudio.com/-now/2020/5/12home-make-maine. But now, we’ll jump right in to tell you the story of our M version.
Whew. It’s been exciting and tough work. There is a lot we want to accomplish in these houses, and so there have been multiple designs, rounds and rounds of refinements, periods of alternating doubt and confidence, and finally something we want to share and hear what you have to say. At the root of all these explorations is once again that question: What does it really mean to dwell ? Some of the things that come to mind for us include: being simultaneously protected and inspired; being stimulated by an intentional balance of order, mystery and play; all while knowing you’re in a healthy and sustainable environment. Here are some of the attributes that define the essence of this house:
design attributes
This is a spacious, two-bedroom house with generous amenities.
Alternate versions—not shown here—include a three-bedroom version and a slightly smaller pared-down version.
It combines open, airy living and sleeping spaces with intimate, eccentric ones: a nook-like study, window seats, a hidden and mysterious stairway connecting the floors, and an upper hall that functions as library or gallery.
The first floor has ten-foot ceilings and a big wall of south-facing windows.
It has a big kitchen—almost 32 lineal feet of cabinetry—for people who are serious cooks and for whom cooking, gathering, and eating are central to their lives.
It has an extraordinary amount of storage for a modest-size house, including a walk-in mud room, food pantry, bedroom closets, linen storage.
It has a dedicated study on the first floor and other potential locations for built-in desks/work spaces throughout the house.
An airlock entry protects the interior from winter blasts, with a sliding glass wall providing visual continuity to the rest of the house.
The exterior is based on New England vernacular forms, and draws on some of the more eccentric rural buildings and their roofs that one encounters in the rural landscape, altered and added to over time.
This specific, asymmetrical roof form is an authentic solution that leads to a new vernacular form. By configuring the form so that over two-thirds of the roof faces south, we’re able to maximize photovoltaic power production that helps us reduce our carbon footprint.
Generous south-facing windows and doors provide a strong, fluid connection between interior and exterior living spaces and the landscape beyond.
sustainability attributes
It incorporates proven passive design strategies, including highly insulated walls, windows and roof, to minimize energy consumption and be on track to meet Architecture 2030 performance goals for carbon neutral construction.
A carefully configured building shell is designed to minimize energy losses via air infiltration and leaks while also managing moisture migration, both interior and exterior.
Mechanical ventilation with energy recovery supplies continuous fresh, outdoor air to ensure a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
It utilizes on-site energy harvesting via highly efficient photovoltaic solar panels.
It provides site energy storage via a battery backup system to decrease reliance and burden on local electrical grid.
still to come
We’re still developing the interior and exterior material palettes, as well as the structural system. Suffice it to say, it will have a heavy reliance on Maine-based materials. This version utilizes stained native cedar shingles for the majority of exterior walls.
At 2200 square feet, truth told, we’re a little above the size we’d like for our M. In a future post, we’ll show you a version of this that weighs in at under 2000 square feet.
What do you think? Have we achieved our goal of offering a place to dwell that’s well-designed, unique and worthy of further development? Where have we missed the mark? And here’s a final provocative question for you: Would you like to see this pushed in a more traditional vernacular direction, in a more decisively contemporary direction, or is the character just right for Maine in 2020?
Next up, we’ll show you examples of our XS, S, and L prototypes. The small versions will allow you to envision how these could be combined on a single property to accommodate extended families, young adult children living at home, dedicated work spaces, and more.
In the meantime, please stay well and keep in touch.