Underhill

Socially and professionally a couple desired to live in the city, but they wanted a different lifestyle for their children as they approached school age. Their goal was to create a sense of place in the suburbs with close neighbors. The history of the community they chose, an early Quaker settlement, inspired the solution. Based on the tenants of simplicity, humility, and inner focus, the house is broken into a series of modest gabled structures, each focused inward on a courtyard. The detailing of materials articulates this organization. Oak floor and ceiling boards radiate outwards from each center courtyard. Metal straps on the ceiling emphasize this geometry. The idea of the pavilion is also evident in the landscape where the building’s inverse form is carved out of the earth to create a courtyard at the basement. Planted retaining walls slope down to let light and air into the lower level.

Bates Masi + Architects, a LEED accredited firm with roots in eastern Long Island for over 40
years, responds to each project with extensive research in related architectural fields,
materials, craft and the environment for unique solutions as varied as the individuals for whom
they are designed. The focus is neither the size nor the type of project but the opportunity to
enrich lives and enhance the environment. This attention to all elements of design has been a
constant in the firm's philosophy. Projects include urban and suburban residences, schools,
offices and furniture in the United States, Central America and the Caribbean, many of which
have been recognized by AIA Design Awards and numerous publications.