North Sea

North Sea
© Edward Caruso

NORTH SEA

Berg Design Architecture

INTERIOR DESIGN
Margali & Flynn Designs

LEAD ARCHITECT
John Berg

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Armus Engineering

MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Kolb Mechanical Corp

MANUFACTURERS
AGS Stainless, EQUITONE, Solar Innovations

CONTRACTOR
Seifert Construction

PHOTOGRAPHS
Edward Caruso

AREA
2500 ft²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Southold, United States

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

Berg Design was approached by retired, empty nesters whose primary residence at Howard Beach was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Their decision to build a new beach house on the North Folk represented a new beginning.

North Sea
© Edward Caruso
North Sea
© Edward Caruso

Hurricane Sandy had taught the couple to be brave in the face of adversity and to place less value on material possessions.

With these important lessons in mind and broad instructions for a "modern, sleek beach house" a residence with interlocking interior and exterior space was designed that seamlessly connected to the landscape.

North Sea
© Edward Caruso
North Sea
© Edward Caruso

At roughly 2500 square feet, the home has an astounding 4 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a home office, double height living room, kitchen and dining area, including a 32 feet wide sliding glass door opening and small swimming pool.

The extremely tight building size, siting restraints from local zoning and state coastal codes were the design team’s greatest challenges but also informed the design principles for the house. The house is so close to the water that one feels as if they are on a boat.

This theme is especially apparent in the upstairs bedrooms; all have private balconies which add to the “cabin” feel. The finished roof deck has been coined the “observation deck” and all rooms have sweeping views of the Connecticut sound.

The materials used on the building are all high tech and durable to stand the test of time. The exterior skin is an innovative fiber cement panel from Germany that does not need to be painted or maintained.

North Sea
© Edward Caruso
North Sea
© Edward Caruso

It also prevents rot and deterioration by allowing an inch of deep air space between the panels and the building. This “rain screen” system allows the building to breathe and dry out in harsh weather conditions. Natural cedar wood siding accents offer a material counterpoint to the pure white panels.

The windows are heavy anodized aluminum frames with energy efficient double pane glazing separated by argon gas and a low e coating. The build was also built in line with FEMA flood regulations.

North Sea
© Edward Caruso


North Sea
Plans
North Sea
Elevations