East End House

The seemingly limitless possibilities for building on this undeveloped stretch of oceanfront dune belie the complicated site restrictions that come with it. Zoning regulations, flood zone restraints, wetland and dune crest setbacks, and the like had to be negotiated alongside the powerful natural attributes of light, water, and topography to create a partnership of landscape and structure.\n\n\n\nThe building treads lightly. The horizontal masses appear to be floating above the dunes, extending the views from inside while maintaining the line of the natural horizon. The house’s two main entrances elicit a feeling of being outside while in. One employs the exterior’s black-stained cedar to create a subtle space of transition. In the other, glass walls surround the main stair and appear to fade away, allowing the space to be enveloped by natural light. The polished terrazzo concrete throughout feels smooth and refined to the touch, while sharing the material - sand and stone - of the dunes.