AIA Long Island Honors Outstanding Architecture With 'Archis'

The Long Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects held its 58th annual Archi Awards last Thursday, October 20, in Glen Cove, where many of the honors were presented to East End architectural firms and firms from farther afield that designed South Fork homes.

The East End’s strong showing in the contest was in the residential architecture categories, including historic restoration.

Oza Sabbeth Architects of Bridgehampton received an Archi in the Residential Single Family (from $1 million to $3 million) category for “Lilla Lane.” The East Hampton residence is made up of three volumes connected by a glass corridor.

The Residential Single Family (over $3 million) category was dominated by East End projects. Archis went to “Six Square House” in Bridgehampton by Young Projects of Brooklyn, “Sagg Farm” in Sagaponack and “Signal Hill” in Montauk by Bates Masi + Architects of East Hampton, and “Long Island Estate” by BMA Architects of Bridgehampton.

Six Square House is on a 2-acre lot adjacent to a historic house, according to Young Projects. It’s made up of six 24-foot-by-24-foot modules, each with a gabled geometry.

“The six modules are composed to create continuous momentum between exterior roof ridges, while roof eaves flow upward and downward along curves to break away from tradition,” the project synopsis states. “While simple exterior materials highlight the dynamic roof geometry from various viewpoints around the site, the roof composition translates to the house’s interior and naturally delineates 6 distinct programs.”

Sagg Farm is an 11,695-square-foot modern residence on 2 acres. It is made up of three volumes connected by glass. “This project seeks to honor the agricultural traditions of the area by applying the fundamental principles of agriculture to architecture: placing order on nature and maximizing access to light and air,” says the project description from Bates Masi + Architects.

Signal Hill is 6,325 square feet on 4.8 acres with grounds by LaGuardia Design Group. “The house structure references traditional livestock pens built from glacial rubble that meander through the local landscape,” Bates Masi + Architects states. “Its stone walls extend to the top of the first floor, organizing its spaces and providing a base for the second story. The walls carve into the sloping meadow, reducing the apparent size of the home when viewed from the exterior. Some of the walls reach out and taper into the ground, cutting strategic sightlines into the hilltop and linking the house with the pool. These apertures brighten interior spaces, provide access to the lawns and meadows, and frame views of the lake and preserves.”

Commendations were issued in the same category to “Lathhouse” in Sagaponack by building studio Birdseye of Vermont, “Bow Tie” in Amagansett by Barnes Coy Architects of Bridgehampton and “Southampton Oceanfront” in Southampton by BMA Architects.

Birdseye’s website describes Lathhouse as a regionally inspired home influenced by local agricultural history combined with contemporary programming and modernist convention.

Speaking to his firm’s award-winning project, Barnes Coy founding partner Chris Coy said: “The name Bow Tie comes from the shape of the plan. Each floor is an asymmetrical bow tie, slightly rotated away from each other, in order to create angles to access views up and down the beach.”

Southampton Oceanfront is a large modern home on Meadow Lane, on a 5.5-acre property with a resculpted dune. “Despite the restrictive parameters that accompanied the project, gracious proportions and dramatic spaces transcend the initial limitations, giving the home a luxurious resort-like glamour,” the firm’s synopsis of the project reads. “Interior spaces flow to the exterior, creating a house that engages with its site and celebrates the indoor-outdoor lifestyle for which the Hamptons are known.”

“The Barns” in Bridgehampton by Lynne Breslin Architects of Brooklyn yielded a commendation in the Small Firm category, for firms with fewer than five employees, and a second commendation in the Historic Restoration/Adaptive Re-Use category.

The Barns was built for psychiatrists who are also collectors of 18th and 19th century tiles, according to Lynne Breslin Architects. The idea was to design a family compound among landscaped gardens. “Five years ago, they noticed a house for sale for $1,” the firm shares in the project synopsis. “The house was offered by the Bridgehampton Historical Society and would be sold to anyone willing to move the house from its current location. The house had already been moved several times in its three centuries plus history but was currently under threat at its current location to new development. Intrigued, the owners decided to buy this house and collect additional houses and barns to create the project. They worked with a local restoration designer to acquire the additional buildings and oversee the restoration of the frames.”

The Atterbury Estate in Southampton too received a commendation in the Historic Restoration/Adaptive Re-Use category. The firm was Garnett DePasquale Projects of Brooklyn.

In the Residential Interiors of Any Kind category, “House on the Atlantic” in Quogue by Burr Salvatore Architects of Darien, Connecticut, and Manhattan earned a commendation.