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Residential (Single-Family)

Scheme 2 of the Guest House at Seatuck Farm was developed to demonstrate how an alternate design approach could yield a very different result. The programmed space for Scheme 2 is only slightly modified with the elimination of the garage and the relocation of its recreation use to the dining pavilion.

The primary differences found in Scheme 2 are its relationship to the site and its simplified roof design. Rather than berming the site to create a level, landscaped courtyard, Scheme 2 maintains the existing contours and allows the natural vegetation to move through the structure (at the pavilion connections) and continue to the parking loggia. The three entryways act as bridges spanning the natural landscape to reach the entry floors, located above the mandated flood plane elevation.

Scheme 2’s roofs have been redesigned to a gabled form reminiscent of roofs found on farm structures in the area. Clad in standing seam metal, the simple, but expressive form clearly defines each pavilion structure.

To further enhance the farm structure esthetic and to reestablish the playful geometries of Scheme 1, the pavilions of Scheme 2 are rearranged along the varying diagonal geometries present in the context of the site. For example, the dining hall pavilion is oriented towards the existing main house and to the primary views over Seatuck Creek and Moriches Bay, and the caretaker and master bedroom pavilions are respectively oriented toward the driveway approach from the north and to the primary water views to the south.

The entry loggia becomes more of an independent design element in Scheme 2. As in Scheme 1, the loggia unifies the three separate guest house entries. But, rather than enclosing a formal court, the new loggia stands alone, tethered to the house with walkways. Responding to the sweep of the pavilions and to the curve of the existing property drive, the loggia’s concave form can be seen as a device for receiving and filtering the extended farm property to the north.