WMAIA 2020 Design Awards
ENTRY
c&h architects, Amherst, MA
This home was built on the foundation of an existing underperforming and poorly constructed house. The existing structure was not worth saving, but reusing the foundation allowed us to greatly reduce site impact in an environmentally sensitive shoreline, and avoid the embodied energy of a new concrete foundation.
The client held a firm requirement to use only environmentally conscious materials to create a net-zero electricity house, with minimal future maintenance requirements for the exterior finishes. The wood structure is insulated with dense-pack cellulose and rigid polyiso insulation, resulting in a super-insulated structure with a very low infiltration rate of 0.56 ACH50.
The plan of the house is driven by the stunning views of the surrounding ocean and shoreline, leading to open interior spaces with high ceilings, large windows and clean detailing. Operable sashes were carefully organized to reduce the number of screens in order to maintain the most uninterrupted views of the water, while still allowing extensive circulation of ocean air throughout the house.
