8 Modern Hamptons Homes Buck Convention

Defying the overblown architecture popular in this affluent Long Island area, these modern residences take a more modest approach

December 25, 2012
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
Houzz Contributor. I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor... More
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The Houses at Sagaponac, a community of 32 modern homes, was planned for 70 acres in the Hamptons, New York. It railed against the bloated pseudohistorical architecture of much of the Hamptons, with the idea of offering compact houses on small sites for around $300,000. The project was launched in 2001 by developer Harry "Coco" Brown with architect Richard Meier, who was responsible for the master plan. But four years later, Brown died, and then the market hit bottom, at which time only six of the 32 houses were completed or under construction. The houses grew in size and cost, but they still were modest compared with many of the massive houses in the area.

I recently drove to the Houses at Sagaponac to see what had been realized and what would be filling in the gaps. My photos highlight the completed buildings (now numbering eight), an extremely dense collection of modern residential architecture for Long Island — or anywhere.
Modern Exterior by John Hill
John Hill
In 2011 the new partners in the project ditched Brown's modern ideals, allowing buyers to hire their own architects and create whatever kinds of houses they wanted, instead of choosing from the completed modern house plans by architects like Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, or Reiser + Umemoto. What resulted were houses like the one on the bottom in this photo, traditional in style, taller and about twice as big as the one above it — 6,000 square feet, as opposed to 3,000.

Part of this shift from modern to traditional can be attributed to the real estate market and a wider preference for traditional styles, but the loss of the project's heart is a large part of it. Modern architecture has often required strong patrons willing to take risks, and without Brown the drive to complete the vision disappeared.

Click photos to view as a slideshow
Modern Site And Landscape Plan by John Hill
John Hill
Brown was able to buy up the 70 acres that would comprise his vision for less than $2 million, very little money for the area. Part of this is due to the land's proximity to the East Hampton Airport, but the noise of planes has not discouraged the 6,000-square-foot and larger houses in traditional styles from being built. So what the developer and his architect were going for was a gimmick of sorts that would not only question the bloated houses but also create a modern enclave among the few existing residences in the area. The site plan shown here, which is on a sign at the development's primary intersection, illustrates the original ambition: the modern Houses at Sagaponac are in orange, and existing houses are in purple.
Modern Site And Landscape Plan by John Hill
John Hill
And here are the eight houses that were built between 2004 and 2010, described next.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
Unlike the urban contexts I've explored in Chicago and Toronto, where modern houses rub shoulders with older houses, the Houses at Sagaponac are removed from the street and from their neighbors. Even though they are fairly hidden from the street by trees, a number of the houses present blank walls on this most public of sides. This house by New York City's Smith-Miller + Hawkinson definitely works in that vein, opting for more openness on the rear of each side of the L in the plan.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
An even more imposing front is found just east of the S-M+H house. New York architect Annabelle Selldorf's design is like a walled-off courtyard that is softened only by the curling driveway; even that element attempts to add privacy with a dense planting of fir trees.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
Across the street from the previous two houses is a pleasing house designed by sisters Gisue and Mojgan Hariri, also based in New York City. Like S-M+H, they used an L-shaped plan to cradle the more private garden space; both houses have facades covered with wood, blending into the built and natural context. Large windows admit light and views through each leg of the L, but operable metal shutters provide privacy as well as security when the owners are away. (It's possible that these and other houses in the Hamptons sit empty more days of the year than full.)
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
A couple lots over from the Hariri sisters' house is one designed by Shigeru Ban with New York's Dean Maltz. Very little of the house can be seen from the street. (This blurry photo is my attempt to take an architectural paparazzi shot over the solid gate — surprisingly, it's the only gate in the development.) The plan is defined as simple boxes with radiating arms that define spaces within the landscape; one of those arms reaches toward the street along the edge of the driveway.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
A common characteristic among the Houses at Sagaponac is that they are fairly low to the ground. This means that they may occupy more of the landscape than a taller house of the same area, but they can also be shaped to work with existing trees. New York City's Calvin Tsao and Zach McKown designed a house that is taller than the seven other designs, something jarring at first glance. Yet its plan is very compact, making the building look like a cube. Next to the tall trees, it still appears fairly modest.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
Near the cube house is a low-slung courtyard house designed by Henry Cobb, who is a partner with I.M. Pei at Pei Cobb Freed in New York City. This is another means of creating private outdoor space, one that enabled many trees to be saved and to become part of the day-to-day experience here.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
Across the street from the Henry Cobb house is one designed by Stan Allen, until recently the dean of Princeton University's architecture school. Two volumes are linked by a second-floor bridge, partially visible here. The form of the house is particularly interesting, as it reaches up to grab the sun through clerestories. As with other houses in the development, wood siding helps the modern form blend into the context.
Modern by John Hill
John Hill
Last is the most recent house, designed by John Keenen and Terence Riley, who practice in New York City and Miami. It is located next door to Allen's house, and is similar in that it has a plan split into two parts. Here, though, they are wholly unique buildings — the main house and pool house face each other at angles across a courtyard. Again, we see how the freedom of the modern approach minimizes the plan's impact on the site, more so when combined with the (relatively) small house sizes.

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Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
love2reno, do you mean "won" and not "one" to mean "triumph over'?
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Kathryn Peltier Design
Of course, we are only seeing one photo of each of these modern houses (the front facades), and I'm sure the back of each house is much different, but what I see is that so many of them seem to have no relationship to the setting whatsoever. I can see some of these built on urban lots, where it would make sense to provide security and visual privacy from the street - but a vacation house on a beautiful wooded site? Why? A couple of these look about as interesting as concrete bunkers in the woods. I totally agree that a 6,000 foot traditional (often in some quasi-traditional style) screams "I've made it!" but couldn't there be a happy middle ground with a modern house that still screams "Welcome"?
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Go Hamptons
Farrell makes hideous McMansions basically copying Michael Davis' McMansions... They all look the same and have no character. At least these homes don't look cookie cutter... I live in the Hamptons and these are refreshing compared to the cedar shingled "cottages" that breed like weeds out here.
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