Lindsay was thinking about updating the house at Long Pond, to make it available year round. This vacation house – it has been in her family for over a hundred years – is her legacy. She is its guardian.

Sentinel On The Hill

The house sits at the top of a small rise overlooking two ponds. It’s a humble house. It has seen many generations come and go. Every winter it sits, braced against the wind and wet, and waits for warmth and family to bring it back to life. Each summer the huge porch rings with the sounds of generations at leisure – children shrieking and running, grown-ups talking and laughing among themselves.

Inviting Change

Change, by definition, means disruption. Still Lindsay explored it. How to respect the old house and yet create a home that would fit them all – children and grandchildren – in winter as well as summer. Would that be a separate entity? What space would be hers? We worked with the family to explore the ramifications of a number of potential design approaches. Ultimately, Lindsay and her family decided to build a new house that would, literally, connect to the old one.

The Design Process

By using scale house models to move around a topological site model, we were able to see how different house configurations and orientations would sit on the land, would take advantage of pond and woodland views, would integrate old and new parts. This proved to be an ideal way to explore the “what ifs.”

Once we had “sited” the new house, we used drawings to study and modify the program. At each stage we took the time to make sure the family was supportive of and contributing to the decisions.

The Past Informs The Present

How? By lifting elements of the old house and fusing them to the new. Teasing out the essence of the old house – where does the family spend its time? The porch, the kitchen, the large windows overlooking the pond.

Lindsay’s Get-Away

Reflecting her role as guardian, Lindsay’s space lets her watch over the house, the ponds, comings and goings. Windows bring the outside in – all designed to feed her creative mind. She can be at once present, the custodian of her legacy – the new house fused with the old – and at the same time maintain her space apart.