Moose Hill House / Utile
© Robert Knight
Architects: Utile, Inc
Location: South of Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Structural Engineer: Amy Dean, PE
Total Area: 344 sqm
Conditioned Area: 260 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Robert Knight
site plan
© Robert Knight
Designed for a family recently transplanted from the city, the Moose Hill House provides a prototype for urban spatial arrangements in a rural setting. The site has two specific orientations which define the split level organization of the house. The site features distant views of the city to the north and faces the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s 2000-acre Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary to the south. These equally compelling exposures suggested that the house should have two “fronts” and be equally approachable from grade at either. The house also takes advantage of its proximity to a nearby rail station, enabling the clients to maintain strong connections to their friends, work places, and the cultural amenities in the city.
© Robert Knight
Generated from a series of carefully integrated decisions, the design is intended to achieve maximum value, efficiency, and sustainability while maintaining a striking modern form high on the hillside. Super-insulating to reduce heat loss, “Smart-Framing” to reduce the amount of lumber required, garden roofs to manage run-off, and geo-thermal heating and cooling are among the strategies deployed to create a house with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Products in this project
Construction materials, Semi-finished materials: Caesarstone
- Countertops by Caesarstone
Heating and Ventilation: Dragin Drilling
- Geothermal heat pump by Dragin Drilling
Joinery: Fleetwood Windows & Doors
- Windows by Fleetwood Windows & Doors
Walls: ICI Paints
- Paints by ICI Paints
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- site plan
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- ground floor plan
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- first floor plan
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- elevation 01
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- elevation 02
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Neat job. Good for them not being afraid to use such a bold pallet of bordo. Like how the wood contrasts with that strong tone. And hey, it is eco-friendly too …
P.S. What is that “smart framing” they’re talking about? Could be more specific if they are trying to go into the technical details
I think it’s all about minimizing studs and framing skeleton while maintaining shear strength.
Site placement and orientation is also really nicely done!
co.
Well done, professional… but, unfortunatelly regular cubic building…
Handsome house, BUT–
Aside from the color, weren’t things of this type first invented 90 years ago (Mies) and then reprised during the Case Study campaign in California during the 50′s and 60′s?
If indeed this is democratic single family housing, as it strikingly references, the technical language should really simply and (ideally) follow social motive and conscience.
The house, in reality, is trying to service two conflicting interests simultaneously: luxury & social relevance (aka utility).
The language of the second aim is co-opted in the interests of the first. Architecture has been stuck in this fix since midCentury.
I drive by this house 6x a week and I’m so happy to be able to see a bit of the inside. It is such a breath of fresh air in what is otherwise a town with lots of 60′s and 70′s style split level eye-sores and boring traditional colonials.
8:52 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile: © Robert KnightArchitects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massachusetts, USA Stru… http://bit.ly/areqo9
8:53 AM Aug 7th
【archi info】 Moose Hill House / Utile http://dlvr.it/3VmHw #Houses (archdaily) #rental_archiinfo
8:55 AM Aug 7th
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9:00 AM Aug 7th
RT @archdaily: Moose Hill House / Utile http://archdai.ly/aaWikg #architecture
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9:08 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile via ArchDaily – © Robert Knight Architects: Utile, Inc Location: South of … http://tinyurl.com/2vyx6ek
9:12 AM Aug 7th
#architekt Moose Hill House / Utile: Architects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massach… http://bit.ly/a2KyqJ #in http://dy.cx/c03
9:12 AM Aug 7th
#architekt Moose Hill House / Utile: Architects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massach… http://bit.ly/a2KyqJ #in http://dy.cx/c03
9:36 AM Aug 7th
Uma implantação 'clássica', bem pensada…à exceção da escada, que eu dispensaria #acessibilidade: http://tinyurl.com/32kcbus via @archdaily
9:36 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile: © Robert KnightArchitects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massachusetts, USA S.. http://tinyurl.com/2f95fsw
9:45 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile: Architects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massachusetts, USA Structural Engineer… http://bit.ly/areqo9
9:45 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile | ArchDaily: Architects: Utile, Inc Location: South of Boston, Massach… http://bit.ly/a2KyqJ http://www.cubestudio.info
10:18 AM Aug 7th
Moose Hill House / Utile | ArchDaily http://bit.ly/904Qpm
11:52 AM Aug 7th
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5:28 PM Aug 7th
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7:17 PM Aug 7th
RT @NewsArch: Moose Hill House / Utile http://archdai.ly/aaWikg #architecture ▄▀ via @afonsocondi @archdaily
12:40 PM Aug 8th
Architecture: Moose Hill House by Utile [Pictures] – http://bit.ly/dwKoNj (via @archdaily) #design #architecture
11:52 AM Aug 9th
RT @archdaily: Moose Hill House / Utile http://archdai.ly/aaWikg #architecture
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12:06 AM Aug 12th
Moose Hill House / Utile | ArchDaily http://bit.ly/904Qpm
Cool house I photographed.
12:51 AM Aug 12th
Check it out! Urban meets rural concept "Moose Hill House" photo'd by my college roomie @rbknight73: Utile | ArchDaily http://bit.ly/904Qpm
8:32 AM Aug 14th
RT @gworden: Check it out! Urban meets rural concept "Moose Hill House" photo'd by my college roomie @rbknight73: Utile | ArchDaily http://bit.ly/904Qpm
3:40 AM Apr 24th
Architecture: Moose Hill House
http://is.gd/fkZ1IR #architecture #design