House on Sag Harbor
House on Sag Harbor is a monolithic residence for an acclaimed American ceramicist, defined by careful siting, restrained materials and a close connection to the landscape of Long Island’s East End.
“We aimed to create a home so distilled in form and material that it would embody the East End idyll and allow the experience of the place to take centrestage,” says Ed Parker, principal at 1100 Architect. Set on a gently sloping site overlooking Sag Harbor, the house is described by founding principal David Piscuskas as a vessel. “Vessels – bowls, containers, the like – that have our interest often present distinctly different yet interdependent identities between their exterior layer and the inside ‘gathering’ finish.”
This tension between softness and hardiness is embedded in the project’s material and design logic. Parker explains that House on Sag Harbor was conceived through a careful calibration of scale: from a distance, its form appears archetypal, simplified and assertive, but up close, that clarity gives way to texture. The band-sawn stained timber introduces variation and a lightly ‘fuzzy’ surface, softening the building’s presence and rewarding proximity with a more tactile reading.
From the outset, the decision to position the house approximately 60 metres back from the shoreline shaped the entire project. That distance is almost three times the mandated minimum, prioritising ecological and spatial considerations over sheer proximity. “Setting the house some distance back from the shoreline contributes to the long-term health of the natural tidal habitat and the biodiversity of the naturally occurring ecological zone,” Piscuskas explains. The siting also anticipates more extreme coastal conditions and future sea-level rise.
Spatially, the setback unlocks a generous landscape between house and water. A pre-existing dock extending east into the bay became a datum for the project. The architects aligned the house perpendicular to it, with a pool tracing a parallel line. Together with a refurbished cottage, now serving as a waterfront guest suite, these elements create a composed sequence from entry to shoreline. The effect is expansive yet controlled, allowing privacy without retreating from the view.
Inside, the house is organised as two perpendicular wings forming an L-shaped plan, with more social functions clearly separated. This arrangement allows for adaptability and ease of movement, while large expanses of glazing draw in light and frame the land and seascape. In the living room, a 12-metre opening can be fully retracted, fulfilling what Parker describes as a desire to “welcome the breeze” and connect directly with the bay. Even the most private rooms maintain visual and environmental connection to the outdoors, which is a result of careful siting and aperture placement.
Regarding how the house might be read in 100 years’ time, the focus turns to longevity – that it endure as a project that’s emotive in its use, adaptable in its distinction between public and private spaces and resilient.
