The 2017 HC&G IDA Winners: Architecture

Situated between ocean and pond, this sleek Sagaponack residence features a cantilevered design that was built to weather heavy storms.

The house was constructed using low-maintenance materials such as steel, mahogany, anodized aluminum, and limestone.

Inside, a skylit catwalk provides views of the living area below, as well as the pool and both bodies of water.

“The very legible master plan includes the integration of the landscape and pedestrian movement through the space,” says judge Roger Ferris admiringly.

The firm was hired by the new owner of this Quogue beach house—designed by architect Abraham Geller during the early 1960s—to renovate the dilapidated structure and add ground-level guest quarters as well as a sitting room.

Custom-made furnishings and period items included in the sale of the residence were also refurbished. Judge Matthew Patrick Smyth describes it as “a sensitive and successful restoration that complements the original architect’s concept.”

If this Amagansett home resembles a boathouse in some ways, credit the historic life-saving station across the street for inspiring many of its design elements, from cedar siding that floats within bronze bars to a staircase suspended from structural beams to a swinging chair that dangles from a cantilevered volume. Additionally, a second-floor deck and elevated seating area, which nod to the station’s lookout towers, provide ocean views. “I love the Zen palette of materials: one wood, one metal, one paint—enough said,” says judge Jesse Carrier. “And that staircase must lead to heaven!”