Underhill

Socially and professionally a couple desired to live in the city, but they wanted a different lifestyle for their children as they approached school age. Their goal was to create a sense of place in the suburbs with close neighbors. The history of the community they chose, an early Quaker settlement, inspired the solution. Based on the tenants of simplicity, humility, and inner focus, the house is broken into a series of modest gabled structures, each focused inward on a courtyard. The detailing of materials articulates this organization. Oak floor and ceiling boards radiate outwards from each center courtyard. Metal straps on the ceiling emphasize this geometry. The idea of the pavilion is also evident in the landscape where the building’s inverse form is carved out of the earth to create a courtyard at the basement. Planted retaining walls slope down to let light and air into the lower level.

Bates Masi + Architects LLC, a full-service architectural firm with roots in New York City and the East End of Long Island for 60 years, responds to each project with extensive research in related architectural fields, material, craft and environment for unique solutions as varied as the individuals or groups for whom they are designed. The focus is neither the size nor the type of project but the opportunity to enrich lives and enhance the environment.