Cambridge House / Anmahian Winton Architects

Architects: Anmahian Winton Architects
Location: Cambridge, MA, USA
Architect In Charge: Nick Winton, AIA
Consulting Principal: Alex Anmahian, AIA, Natalie Wong
Area: 6300.0 ft2
Year: 2013
Photographs: Jane Messinger

Structural Engineers: RSE Associates, Inc
Civil Engineers: Columbia Design Group, LLC
Mechanical Engineers: Zero Energy Design
Landscape: Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design, LLC
Audio Visual, Technology: System 7
General Contractor: Sea-Dar Construction

From the architect. This new single-family home is minimal in form and material, a modernist counterpoint to the colonial fabric of its Cambridge neighborhood. The building’s form masks outdoor living spaces from the bustling street and organizes rooms around specific views and direct access to the protected, back yard landscape. Daylight washes through interior spaces that are organized around a figural stair connecting the first floor open living space, second floor bedrooms and studies, and a third floor master bedroom loft.

The building gives shape to a conventional domestic program for a family of four and emphasizes a small footprint, both in terms of size and environmental impact: it employs high efficiency mechanical systems, a high performance envelope, photovoltaic solar panels, and long life-cycle materials.

The home’s envelope and interior aesthetic are restrained and focus on detail. Its primary volume is clad in a hardwood rainscreen of Ipe, with secondary, zinc-lined openings that create entry, shade, shelter, and openings to the interior. Its open plan is defined by luminous white plaster surfaces punctuated by a central walnut-lined stair, weaving from the first floor through to the third floor loft and terrace.