Program: Situated on Long Island’s South Fork in the artist enclave of Springs, New York, this addition to an existing one-story house accommodates a single-car garage (which doubles as an exhibition space), a powder room, and a second-floor painting studio.

Design Solution: Constrained by strict zoning rules and the site’s unique environmental conditions, architects Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung sensitively inserted the structure without removing any existing trees and using the smallest footprint possible. The garage neatly fits the client’s 1966 Chevy Impala, and a small vestibule, connecting the addition to the existing house, provides access to a staircase.

On the second floor, a ribbon window wraps the perimeter of the studio, providing a 360-degree panorama of the calm, wooded landscape, with glimpses of Hog Creek to the west. The architects worked closely with engineering firm Silman to develop a structural system that could accommodate the continuous glazing: slender steel columns, pulled away from the corners and hidden behind window mullions, support the pitched roof, while steel-rod cross-bracing provides lateral support. The effect is alluring, creating a sense of immersion in nature with the ceiling floating overhead.

Photo © Naho Kubota

1

2

3

4

5

6

Photos © Naho Kubota

1

2

3

4

Images courtesy Worrell Yeung, click to enlarge