Pondicherry (New Settlement)

What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?

We had designed an addition and renovation to the owner’s house in Cumberland Center several years previous to this commission, so they knew our work well. They did interview other architects for this project, but after a site walk, long conversations, and preliminary design sketches we were selected to work with them on this house.

Please provide an overview of the project.

The design is a simple house with two wings, one for living, the other for sleeping, and a limited palette of natural materials: stone, wood, metal and glass. The building forms are simple. They touch the earth lightly and reach out to embrace the natural setting. The roofs lift up to open the house to the sun and views of the mountains and pond. Overhangs shade the summer sun.  Rooms are modestly sized, with generous amounts of natural light. Exterior decks cantilever over a landscape of ferns and moss. Pondicherry was made by hand with sustainable materials and produces 38% more energy than it uses. 

What are the main ideas and inspirations influencing the design of the building?

The owners wanted a small house that touched the earth lightly. They are foresters and wanted the interiors to be made with all clear pine from their sustainable forests. Conservation easements required that the house be sited 150 feet from the edge of the pond. Minimal clearing of the forest was allowed. The Design Challenge was to create a new way of living on Mount Desert Island, which had been a retreat for this family for over a century. They named the house Pondicherry, a new settlement, to describe their new way of life on the island, which sought to live in harmony with the National Park surroundings vs. the large cottages of Northeast Harbor where they had spent their youth.

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

The house is simple: there are two rectangles, one for living and one for sleeping, connected by a glass connector. It is also complex: it is Net-Zero energy and LEED Platinum. In its first year is produced 38% more energy than it consumed.

Sustainable elements include: LEED Platinum Certified/Net Zero Energy: R-52 roofs, R-37 walls, R-20 below slabs, R-5.75 windows; high performance air-to-air heat exchangers; photovoltaic panels for electricity, solar thermal panels for hot water; ultra low flow/dual flush fixtures for water conservation; LED lighting, radiant heating, IPE rain screen siding, ultra-thin cantilevered roof overhangs.

How would you describe the architecture of Maine and how does the building relate to it?

The architecture of Maine, at its best, reflects the simple power of the landscape. We are bounded by the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. Natural materials can’t help but find their way into the buildings: granite from the islands along the mid-coast and white pine from the sustainable forests up north. Pondicherry is built of granite and wood, a simple house sitting lightly on the land. The base of the house is granite; the form of the house is wood. Native ferns and moss grow around and under the house, rooting it to the landscape.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.