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Architects: Utile, Inc
- Area: 344 m²
- Year: 2008
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Photographs:Robert Knight
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Manufacturers: Caesarstone, Dragin Drilling, Fleetwood, ICI Paints
Text description provided by the architects. Designed for a family recently transplanted from the city, the Moose Hill House provides a prototype for urban spatial arrangements in a rural setting. The site has two specific orientations which define the split level organization of the house. The site features distant views of the city to the north and faces the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s 2000-acre Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary to the south. These equally compelling exposures suggested that the house should have two “fronts” and be equally approachable from grade at either. The house also takes advantage of its proximity to a nearby rail station, enabling the clients to maintain strong connections to their friends, work places, and the cultural amenities in the city.
Generated from a series of carefully integrated decisions, the design is intended to achieve maximum value, efficiency, and sustainability while maintaining a striking modern form high on the hillside. Super-insulating to reduce heat loss, “Smart-Framing” to reduce the amount of lumber required, garden roofs to manage run-off, and geo-thermal heating and cooling are among the strategies deployed to create a house with as little impact on the environment as possible.
