Pondicherry (New Settlement)

12. maio 2014

Pondicherry (New Settlement)
2012
Mount Desert Island, Maine

Client
Margot and Roger Milliken

Architect
Scott Simons Architects
Portland, ME

Design Principal
Scott Simons

Project Manager
Harry Hepburn

Structural Engineer
Nate Merrill, Becker Structural Engineers

MEP/FP Engineer
Fortunate Meuller, Revision Energy

Landscape Architect
Michael Boucher Landscape Architects

Lighting Designer
Peter Knuppel

Contractor
Peacock Builders

Windows and Lift-Slide Doors
Drewexim

Site Area
4 acres

Building Area
2,950 sf

Photographs
Trent Bell

Drawings
Scott Simons Architects

View from Hodgedon Pond to south façade of house

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.

View from sleeping wing to living wing through glass connector

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. 

View of Glass Connector across moss garden

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.

View of east end of sleeping wing with solar HW and PV panels

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.

View of north side of house through the pine forest

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.

View of Living Room and Dining Rooms with clear pine wall and ceiling surfaces
View of west end of sleeping wing with exterior granite terrace and walls
View of IPE and white cedar shingle siding, cable rail handrails, and IPE garage door
View of Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom
Exterior view at Twilight
Site plan and floor plans

Pondicherry (New Settlement)
2012
Mount Desert Island, Maine

Client
Margot and Roger Milliken

Architect
Scott Simons Architects
Portland, ME

Design Principal
Scott Simons

Project Manager
Harry Hepburn

Structural Engineer
Nate Merrill, Becker Structural Engineers

MEP/FP Engineer
Fortunate Meuller, Revision Energy

Landscape Architect
Michael Boucher Landscape Architects

Lighting Designer
Peter Knuppel

Contractor
Peacock Builders

Windows and Lift-Slide Doors
Drewexim

Site Area
4 acres

Building Area
2,950 sf

Photographs
Trent Bell

Drawings
Scott Simons Architects

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