Hemlock Point

Location: Moultonborough, New Hampshire

Type: Residential

Description: This home was designed for a growing, active family on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in central New Hampshire.

Sited on a narrow peninsula, the house sits lightly to minimize site disturbance. Its form was inspired by an existing ice house on the property, while stacked blocks of ice inspired the articulation of the building’s skin.

The client expressed three main goals for the project.

The first goal was to create a sense of adventure. To achieve this, there are two volumes strategically arranged in conjunction with two exposed steel beams that span between two small concrete foundations.This balancing act elicits a sense of wonder while exploiting the laws of gravity.

The second goal was to create intimate spaces for family gatherings. To achieve this, the home was arranged as a composition of two gabled volumes, the smaller featuring the main public spaces of the house, while the larger contains the bedrooms and more pragmatic spaces of the house. The smaller gabled volume offers an intimate cabin-like atmosphere, with more modern touches.

The third goal was to incorporate a space to feed their intellectual and creative side. To achieve this, a small studio space was inserted at the end of a third volume, which contains the detached garage. To access this space, one must walk outdoors, physically and mentally creating a threshold between the house and studio, essential to enhancing their creativity.

The materials are raw, promoting a deeper connection with the natural world. Board-formed concrete foundations show the story of their construction. The wood cladding above is articulated based on a 22 inch module. This represents the size of the ice blocks previously harvested and stacked in ice houses across New England. Thin metal extrusions accentuate this pattern on the facade.