Family Compound, Lincoln, MA
This house, designed for a three-generation family, was shaped by our client's well articulated priorities: insure quiet and privacy; minimize its impact on the land; and make it appear simple. A one-story expression on the entry yard creates a welcoming scale and shapes a space for children to play in safely. Inside, a timber frame unifies a main living space in which two sitting areas, a dining alcove, a window seat for two, and a screened porch wrap around an open-plan kitchen.

House Renovation & Addition, Lincoln, MA
Here we converted an existing pool house into a year round residence. By adding 2687 square feet of interior space to the existing 726 square foot pool house we shaped a garden to the south and refocused the outdoor areas away from what previously was a pool view only. Appropriately scaled porches and a connector make this new house sit into a beautiful site overlooking a pond. Double wall construction is being used to achieve a very high standard for the building envelope to reduce energy use. The wall cavity will be as high as an R-48.2 and the roofs will be at R-55.6. This house will easily achieve an Energy Star Rating.

Hill House, Lincoln, MA
A steep site dropping over thirty feet offered the opportunity to achieve a consolidated plan on four levels, including an in-house office and a potential accessory apartment beneath the garage. Coupled with a high-quality building envelope, this planning strategy would insure long-term energy efficiency, as well as construction efficiency. Regional, organic forms are coupled with modern fenestration and detailing intended to fully connect the inside spaces with the natural world.

New House, Marlborough, NH

Historic Cottage, East Hampton, NY
As part of the large house formally owned by Poet John Hall Wheelock in East Hampton, Long Island, the cottage was moved to its current location in 1977. Today it is being renovated and added on to in order to become a year round house for its current owners. An addition is being built to allow one story living and to shape an outdoor terrace and a separate lap pool garden. The new living room is constructed with a timber frame made of recycled fir. Extensive work is being done to retain the character of the old cottage while improving the building envelope in order to achieve an Energy Star or better rating. The cottage still remains a part of the original country estate on 12 acres next to the Village of East Hampton.

Event Hall, Cloudland Farm, Woodstock, VT
This timber-framed hall was designed for a family farm to host events featuring home-cooked farm-raised products, with an unparalleled view looking south over central Vermont. The hall includes a full commercial kitchen and office space, and is integrated with a small store for guests and visiting hikers from the nearby Appalachian Trail.

New Dormitory, Insight Meditation Society, Barre, MA
OPA was retained in 2009 to provide a Master Plan for the IMS Campus involving residential expansion, renovations of an existing dining/kitchen area, and extensive site and landscape design. Phase I (pictured here) involves the building of a new dormitory for 28 single occupancy rooms, and a connector which will connect the two existing dormitories allowing an indoor circulation from all the dorm rooms to the dining and meditation areas, and a place for indoor walking meditation during inclement weather. The new dormitory helps shape an inner courtyard which is viewed from all areas of the campus. Goals have been set to achieve a very high level of energy efficiency in the new building. A team has been assemble to reassure these goals are met. Design is underway for phase I and construction is scheduled to begin in September of 2012.