Meridian House A Proposal for a House of Shadows On Site The shores of the northern Atlantic are inherently shifting landscapes. Coastal geography magnified by unstable weather patterns create regions prone to hurricanes, storm surge, and the effects of rising sea levels. Plum Island, Massachusetts is a barrier island located next to the mouth of the Merrimack River and against the Atlantic Ocean. It stretches 11 miles north to south along the New England coast, over half of which is designated as federally preserved land. To the northernmost tip of the island is a small pocket of developed land, home to only a couple thousand residents. Plum Island, similar to many regions of this coastline, is home to aging housing stock in risk-prone flood plains. These conditions are fit for architecture that proposes climate-responsive, contemporary building solutions.
On Research
On Light
The concept of this proposal was deeply influenced by the relationship between architecture and photography. Both are social art forms that can engage in greater cultural, economic, and political conversations. By investigating urban space via documentary photography, the image can be used as a driver of an architectural response.
Throughout the proposal, natural light is treated more than a solely spatial element. It plays an active role in shaping the experience and drama of the site, while retaining the strong link to regional and climatic conditions. Light is directed, filtered, and framed as a method of conceptually strengthening ties to the ocean and surrounding landscapes.
My self-published photography book “At the Edge of the Known World” presents coastal Massachusetts as a region characterized by history, seasonality, and a strong connection to the landscape. Through a collection of 45 black and white images captured over the summer months of 2023, I presented a visual narrative that speaks on these traits through the format of candid, observational documentary photography.
Program is positioned radially out from a central, two level, north to south corridor. Four inter-
linked volumes of living space distinguish public and private areas and allow for an integration of indoor-outdoor connection through a series of balconies. In response to the sun’s daily path, these volumes are angled, extended, and punctured to allow daylight in. Programmatic relationships and natural light are connected across the plan. Private spaces orient east towards a sunrise on the oceans horizon, while more south and west facing gathering spaces are illuminated by afternoon and evening sunlight over the vibrant dune landscape.
The book is split into three chapters. First, the exposition establishes the narrative’s geographical boundaries. To introduce the viewer to the region, the story initiates by representing the area’s diversity of built and natural environments. It is architectural, sparsely populated, and presents the image of New England to an unfamiliar viewer. The second act establishes the grounds for a narrative rooted in personal perspective. These photographs of public and cultural life represent the local character that is quintessential to coastal Massachusetts. The book concludes with a reflection on the variety of ways the natural landscape is crucial to the region. The rivers and oceanscape continue to be a lifeblood of the local population and economy, in similar and different ways throughout its history.
On the border between these two landscapes, township to the north and protected wildland to the south, is a small, undeveloped lot. Meridian House is a proposal for a residence that uses sunlight as its only source of light. It is oriented along this innate directional axis and extends south into the open landscape. Conceived as a primordial sundial, its orientation responds dynamically to the sun’s path of travel across different hourly and seasonal conditions. Sunlight acts as a driver of architectural language and is treated both in formal and material conditions.
Inherent to the conversation about natural light is an idea of lightness. The house sits elevated above the ground plane in accordance with local zoning bylaws to protect property from damaging hurricane storm surge. From eye level on the beach, the long, sleek elevation of the house floats above the landscape to reflect the weightlessness present within the ocean. On Material This proposal is informed by the local history and ties into a conversation with the coastal landscapes. The house is formally modest as a way to blend with the conservative vernacular architecture. New England’s lasting Puritan philosophies are still present by the abundance of carefully crafted historical revival buildings in the neighboring towns. This proposal recognizes this local legacy of industry and innovation and proposes an architectural language in conversation with this ethos by looking towards contemporary building methods.
By first analyzing and reflecting on this photographic narrative, architectural design was a means to represent these realities and propagate an idea of contemporary regionalism. Photography, especially black and white film, is inherently dependent on natural light to produce a negative, which makes this research methodology suitable for a proposal for a residence limited to only natural light.
Perspective facing north
d
It diverges from the heavy, traditional cladding of its neighbors by introducing a modern interpretation of surface treatment. The simplicity of the walled front facade reflects the Puritan ideals of modesty and restraint while the material’s texture and industrial fabrication nod to the resilience of the coastal communities. In response to shading and privacy, a series of perforated metal panels wrap the structure. To the street, the house presents the image of a folded unassuming wall. By moving through the interior spaces, layers of this external skin are sequentially broken to reveal framed views of the extending landscape. Natural light breaks through the circular openings in the facade and allows interior spaces to maintain a balance of highlights and shadows throughout. On Housing Formally, the house adopts characteristics of a bungalow, which is one of the common imported housing typologies across New England. American bungalows traditionally are defined by heavy roofscapes with deep overhangs, constrained height, kitchen bays, and long occupiable deck spaces. This proposal embodies this familiar typology, in a hyper local context. The deep roof overhangs facing south block high-angle summer sun, while allowing lower angle winter light to break into the public spaces. Its height is limited by specific zoning requirements and a kitchen bay breaks out east in the direction of the ocean. Balconies are used throughout the plan as seamless extensions of interior space.
sequence and connection to the natural environments. This circulation on the north-south axis is superimposed and manipulated on the second level, where a two level split staircase brings residents from ground level on the beach, up to the second level’s primary bath and south-facing glass shower. A series of balconies extend out from these main living spaces and blend the relationship between indoor and outdoor experience. Three bedrooms split off from this main central corridor, oriented to preserve privacy from the public street while remaining integrated with the eastern, beachfront facade. A small sitting room and study provides residents with a western vantage point to take advantage of powerful evening sunlight. This gradient of publicness to privateness integrates with the seasonal characteristics of the region and allows residents to experience a variety of scenes to connect with the landscape across all seasons of the year. Meridian House stands as a meditation on the interaction between permanent and temporary both in its architecture and its raw experience. The proposal offers its residents a shifting perspective of the natural world, while remaining steadfast in its commitment to the land. Its spatial relationship is a constant negotiation between the dynamics of light and the materials that give it form. The house acts to continuously engage with the environment, reminding us that we are part of a greater, cyclical whole.
From the street looking at the main entrance on the north facade, the house is reduced down to a folded wall of perforated metal panels. This wall folds up to a covered carport. To enter and ascend to the main level of the elevated house, a main staircase slips in between screen and wall. Once through this threshold and into the house, a south facing corridor frames a constrained scene of dunes on the horizon line. As the viewer passes through into the kitchen and living space, a series of framed views sequentially reveal the ocean’s horizon, culminating in a balcony that exposes views of the ocean to the east, dunes to the south, and river marsh to the west. A long linear skylight inhabits the roof above this corridor and accentuates this experience of
9
4
Perspective facing south
2
1
3
2
7 5 8 c
6
b
9
2
1 6
e d
Perspective facing west
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
carport kitchen dining living study bed bath utility deck
a b c d e
driveway entrance stair main entrance stair to beach stair to level 2
LEVEL 1 Perspective facing east
6
a
1 2
bath roof deck
LEVEL 2