Evergreen Landing Cottage
Peaks Island, Maine
2001
Photography: James R. Salomon
Builder: LHA Builders
Whitten Architects project: Winkelman lead
The center form, open, light, and airy with its exposed structure, was inspired by research into the history of this particular island neighborhood, which originated as a methodist tenting community. The 3/4 barrel form and its field of skylights, while stepping away from the literalness of a tented image, is rooted in the lightness of tents.
Site Conditions
A tight, sloping waterfront site within a thickly settled seasonal community, with north-facing views of great diamond island and casco bay.
Client Program
A 3-season cottage with open public spaces and tons of light, a main level master suite, and 2 guest bedrooms with a bath upstairs. Their goal was for a design with ‘floor to ceiling glass’ to maximize the views, and yet for the new design to weave into the existing context of the island.
Design Response
Calls for a two-part solution. First, daylight: Create a center light-filled contemporary single-story living / dining / kitchen space within a 3/4 barrel vaulted roof structure. This space is rotated in plan to sit square to its prime northerly view (skewed to its neighbors). Second: Embed two flanking ‘book-end’ type traditional forms, sitting normal (square) to the neighbors. One contains (and signals) front entry, the other contains bedroom functions and upper level program. Their traditional proportions and detail tie the structure as a whole to the surrounding neighborhood.