LINCOLN RESIDENCE
Massachusetts

with Heinrich Hermann

The house and garden are adjacent to a conservation area that is part of Lincoln's network of protected open space. The site was previously a sand and gravel pit which, along with the need to address wetlands protection regulations, created a challenge. The building is set high above the pit, and the site is regraded using a series of fieldstone retaining walls and terraces. The septic system is placed at the front, away from the wetlands, with a wildflower meadow planted over it. Fruit trees and understory native shrubs are planted at the woodland edge.

A broad front porch overlooks the meadow and is connected to the garage by an arcing pergola covered in wisteria. As one enters the house, a view through invites passage to the rear deck and lower terrace garden.

A shingled tower, canted to the view of the forest, rises out of the main house gable roof. The kitchen, the heart of family life, is located in this structure. Three clapboarded sheds lean off the tower, accommodating a dining area, family room and home office.

The geometry of these elements contributes to the house's informal and open layout. Two bay windows with built-in seating and a roof monitor over the main stair add to the assembly of forms inspired by New England connected farmhouses.

Suspended above the main stair and dramatically lit at night by theater lamps with colored gels, the owner's delicate, geometric wire mesh light sculptures provide shadow play. In the top of the tower, reached by a hidden stair, is a sanctuary for meditation practice. A bracketed balcony offers an outside place where one can look out over the tree canopy.