Nick Martin — Architect
“I find the most inspirational forms in the unique and raw abstractions found in the beauty of nature, music and art.”
One of Martin’s newest completed projects is the renovation of the Tolan House. Charlie Gwathmey, a famed architect and member of the “New York Five,” built the house, located in Amagansett, New York, in the 1970s. Martin worked in Gwathmey’s office as his first professional experience, and the renowned architect became one of his mentors. Martin, commissioned by an “architecturally inspired” client, was charged with both renovating and making additions to the residence. The mantra was to preserve its critically acclaimed modernist legacy while redesigning with a fresh eye and modernist hand.
“This project was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Martin said.
For the project, Martin incorporated unique current materials that held a purpose similar to the original goals but unavailable at the time of the home’s initial design. For example, Martin replaced the 1970’s glass block with low-iron Bendheim channel glass. Rather than interior cedar to clad the interior, Martin used hemlock, which has a more consistent and light blond character. Martin also replaced a portion of the home’s solid cedar doors and walls with semi-transparent mahogany rainscreens, which allow channeled and focused light into the house.
“In this type of manner, we paid homage to Charlie Gwathmey’s inventiveness and sense of creativity,” Martin said. “Having worked with Charlie early in my career, I was trained in the modernist discipline and creative approach in using materiality, Corbusier’s modular, and nature in the work. Working on the Tolan House was an honor, and the team treated each move as such to stay within the legacy of Charlie’s brilliance.”
— Excerpt from New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Northeast Architects
Photography by Conor Harrigan
Photography by Conor Harrigan
Photography by Conor Harrigan