Bruce Beinfield — Architect
“Our work is inspiredby place, culture, andhistory. We are dedicatedto solving architecturalproblems innovatively withenvironmentally sustainablesolutions that are expressive ofstructure and program.”
Setbacks yielded a 12.5-foot-wide street façade. The whimsical expression is that of a simple barn,with salvaged siding remembering a past life and intentionally masking the building’s age.The main portion of the house consists of a 16-foot-by-75-foot rectangle that floats above theearth on concrete piers to let flood waters flow beneath. Steel operable glass walls open up to thenatural environment. The exoskeleton of lateral bracing shield storm shutters that protect thelarge operable glazed surfaces from storms and provide additional insulation on winter nights. Aconcrete floor with radiant piping provides a passive solar heat sink.
Structural bays marked by steel girders separate the interior spaces. Heavy timber beams, raw steel,concrete, and copper surfaces endow the place with industrial strength and organic warmth. Spiralductwork that penetrates the steel ties the spaces together.
A dynamic tension reflects the sensibilities of both Beinfield and his wife, Carol. He, the architect,imposed a rigorous underlying order as an armature for her, the artist/collector, to layer on thechaos of life. That dialog animates the home.
— Excerpt from New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Northeast Architects
Photography by Meg Matyia
Photography by Meg Matyia
Photography by Meg Matyia