I
s it a house or is it an observatory? The distinctions tend to blur when you’re talking about homes designed by Desai Chia Architecture. Blessed with walls of glass and broad, outstretched roofs, they offer sanctuary from the elements while wrapping their residents in nature. That’s certainly true of this residence in Shelter Island, New York. Dubbed Osprey House for its avian neighbors—and the way it mimics their elevated perches—the structure’s veiled exterior offers a ringside view of the adjoining shoreline and the wildlife that inhabits it.
FRED ALBERT, Forbes Deputy Editor, Architecture: In terms of scale, scope and identity, how does this project fit into your overall body of residential work?
KATHERINE CHIA: We love connecting our clients to the landscape and shaping experiences that bring people together. For this project, our client wanted to build a home for his family on Shelter Island that would foster their love for beach walks, kayaking and living within nature. The site is located at the edge of a coastal nature preserve. As we walked around the property, we became captivated by the ecology of the nearby wetlands and the native osprey birds. As quirky as this may sound, that was the jumping off point for the design of the home. Also, we always think carefully about the power of light. Light articulates form, animates texture, connects indoor and outdoor, and has the potential to create drama where it might not be expected. Because this site primarily faces north, we integrated a long, south-facing clerestory window at the offset ridgeline of the roof, so that sunlight would wash across the exposed structural beams throughout the day and bounce warm light into the living spaces.
ALBERT: Creatively, from a design problem-solving viewpoint, what are a few of the most satisfying solutions that came together here?
CHIA: Osprey nests appear in treetops, telephone poles and nautical piers throughout the island. So we designed this home with large communal living spaces and an outdoor terrace perched on the second floor in the spirit of an osprey nest. This offers the raised gathering spaces a stunningly expansive view of the marshland’s thriving ecosystem; the clients can observe the movement and migration of wildlife across the layers of forest, wetlands and tidal coves. The vertical cypress siding—inspired by the vertical slats of ‘bird blind’ structures that populate the nature preserve—allows the home to blend into the trees and encourages wildlife to occupy the lot. The home's nautical forms project toward the water like a ship’s bow, providing covered outdoor gathering spaces on both the first and second floors.
ALBERT: What’s next for the studio?
CHIA: In addition to several new residences in Michigan, Colorado, upstate New York and Costa Rica, we are working with museums and a university on projects that foster community and collaboration. Expanding our work into cultural and institutional projects has been very exciting and has led to compelling client conversations that explore the reciprocity of ideas between residential design and other building typologies. Museum clients want to create a welcoming sense of “home” for a more engaging art and visitor experience. University clients are seeking spaces that act like inviting “‘living rooms” to build community and strengthen relationships between students and faculty. These tenets are at the core of our residential architecture work, so it’s been a natural fit to apply them more broadly.
“Expansive glazing along the north facade provides stunning views of the nature preserve throughout the day,” Chia says. “A stair dropping down from the second level rests gracefully on the ground, connecting the social and private programs with each other and the site.”
Paul Warchol
The house features a reverse floor plan, with gathering spaces and the primary bedroom on the second floor, and additional bedrooms on the first floor. “The home was inspired by native osprey birds whose ubiquitous nests appear atop trees, telephone poles and nautical piers,” says Chia.
Paul Warchol
Structural Douglas fir roof beams and cypress wood wall planks—finished with a flamed shou sugi ban treatment—embrace the living areas with warm tones and textures. A south-facing clerestory along the roof ridge allows sunlight to wash into the living spaces throughout the year.
Paul Warchol
“The kitchen includes a sculptural island whose form references the angles of the nautical pennants adorning the sailboats passing by,” Chia says.
Paul Warchol
“The staircase near the entrance also serves as a tiered seating bench,” Chia says. Touch-latch panels on the face of the risers conceal hidden storage compartments.
Jake Balston
“In the media room and library, a double-height window captures the vertical drama of the trees that stretch skyward along the shoreline,” Chia says.
Jake Balston
The terrace off the second-floor living room offers a covered perch, where one can observe the biodiversity of the nature preserve.
Jake Balston
Desai Chia Architecture
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