Squam Lake Vacation House in Center Harbor, New Hampshire by The Galante Architecture Studio

Article source: The Galante Architecture Studio

The program of this project is set on a lake front site with requirements for a light, transparent building in an inhospitable winter climate. Opening the house to the lake was of prime consideration to the client, as this was seen as the “front of house.” The entry sequence was understood as “back of house”. Inside becomes a surrogate outside. inherent in a lake front site is a notion that public and private do not follow traditional rules.

Cylinder detail

• Architects: The Galante Architecture Studio
• Project: Squam Lake Vacation House
• Location: Center Harbor, New Hampshire
• Size: 2,200 ft2
• Cost: $600k
• Materials: Wood ▫ Stone ▫ Copper ▫ Glass

Left Elevation

If the “public” façade is the one that faces the approaching visitor, is the opposite side “private”? The outward view from within the house addresses similar concerns. Inside is the manifestation of suppressed desires to be enveloped by outside. One wishes to be neither inside nor outside, but somewhere in between. Here, outside is defined as public and inside as private. What is at hand is a subtle negotiation between outside/inside – public/private. The resolution yields a house viewed from all sides equally – a presentation hovering between public and private. The copper-clad tower, pierced with fiber optic cables, stands as a beacon in the night woods.

Model in topography

Porch Detail

Right Elevation

Plans

Tags: Center Harbor, New Hampshire

Category: House

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