Swede Hill House
Architecture Firm: Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects, Inc.
Year: 2013 Design Awards
Category: Residential Architecture
Location: Block Island, RI
Type: Honor Award
Block Island’s modest, forthright farmhouses with adjoining sheds and barns are an example of a truly regional architecture. Their low-scale and thoughtful siting serve to block the relentless winds and their weathered materials blend into the rugged landscape.
This time-tested connected building type is adopted for the Swede Hill House.
Here though, the three buildings, housing a great room, 3 bedrooms and a guest house, are folded around a courtyard to create a sheltered outdoor space on this high, windy site. The buildings are kept low and are clad in granite, cedar shingles, and copper – all materials that develop a weathered patina over time and that require minimal upkeep.
Block Island, RI