precedent 02 - VH r-12

Restrictive zoning, rather than necessity, is often the mother of architectural invention. Made to withstand the harsh winters of Martha’s Vineyard while treading lightly on the island, the VH R-10 gHouse, designed by architect Darren Petrucci, AIA, was so profoundly shaped by local restrictions that it adopted the zoning district—R-10—as part of its name.

By code, VH r-10 could not exceed a 600sf footprint and still qualify as a guest house. Petrucci drew a 40x24 foot footprint on a 4 foot module and cut away the corners to meet the criteria. The outdoor spaces created at the corners present opportunities for exterior circulation and a terrace.





Floor to ceiling glass of the main living space echoes the subtracted volumes at the exterior. These spaces, exterior and interior, negotiate transparency and closure by the sliding of large mahogany rainscreens. The screens allow for the living space to be completely opened to the yard while giving definition to the (not counted in the building footprint) entry stair. Slid together (closed), the screens provide privacy, shutter the windows, and reveal the corner spaces resulting in a compactness of the volume as a whole. The shuttered house reads as a core (concrete foundation wall, shutters, and upper volume) flanked by the more delicate elements (exterior stairs, terrace, and sunscreen/trellis.




VH r-12 gHouse gains a half basement by sliding the wood-clad upper volume up four feet above grade, distinguishing it from the concrete base.

Both of these moves, shuttering and raising the first floor, can be utilized as hurricane proofing strategies.

We have also talked about the strategy of using a central core for the cottage. The central core would contain services (kitchen, bath, and a bedroom), the minimum that would need to be protected in the event of serious weather. The rest of the house would frame into the core. The living spaces, extra bedrooms, exterior terraces, or a screened porch.

One last thing. I wanted to point out this ceiling in the bedroom. It is another suggestion of complementary opacity and transparency. It is probably not as complex as it looks as a colleague of mine pointed out. It is delicate and substantial at the same time.

Until next time.