This is a house for two doctors escaping the bustle of London for a quieter small town life and medical practice on the Passamaquoddy Bay. Their daughter, for whom the house is named, is an aspiring architect who played a role in the execution of the project as part of her education.

The house consists of two gabled barn forms on a cliff over the sea which is connected by an entry foyer between. Like the Two Hulls House, one structure is the day or gathering pavilion containing living, dining, kitchen, and study and one is the night or sleeping pavilion, containing the garage and private spaces. By pushing the Day Pavilion forward over a concrete retaining wall, and pushing the Night Pavilion back toward the road, two courtyards (or barnyards) are formed—one on the sea and an arrival court at the road. The plan is anchored at the sides by two, totemic concrete bumps, a hearth in the Great Room, and a bath on the woods in the master suite.

The private, south ends of both pavilions over the sea are largely glazed for both solar gain and prospect. The north, public ends are mute with only a few carefully placed windows. The zero-detailed monolithic exterior is completely clad in local cedar shingles, in contrast with the white interior. Delicate, steel cabled trusses in the Day Pavilion suggest the structure of a bi-plane. Gunmetal grey totemic elements or ‘jewellery’ accent the interior. A steel hearth bench dialogues with an exterior bench on the concrete garden wall opposite.

This apparently traditional house shares the siting strategy, planning strategy and best practice minimalist detailing of our more overtly modern projects. Projects like this argue for an invisible, modest architecture that contributes to a well-tempered environment.