Elevated Oceanfront

This beach house, built on a quiet cove on the Cape, sits on the site of a previous family home. The original house had suffered through a number of floods. After the last one, the family decided to build a new home, raised above the highest flood zone.

The home is designed to take advantage of the ocean view with major living spaces featuring a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Detailing this wall to minimize obstructions to the view while also withstanding ocean storms required careful collaboration between the architect and project team and leveraging Thoughtforms’ extensive experience building in exposed locations. In addition, the tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, and west-facing dormers that bring daylight into the home required cooling, automated shades, and high-performance glass to be considered as a system so the indoor environment stays comfortable throughout the day.

Aesthetically, traditional cedar shingles on the ocean facing side help the home blend into the neighborhood of similar cedar clad houses. Horizontal, standing seam zinc clad metal on the front of the house was carefully installed to present a modern feel akin to clapboard.”