Pamet Harbor Void House

Truro, Massachusetts

This 3,000 sf home sits on a hill surrounded by native meadow, shrubs, grasses and conifers. The design scheme takes advantage of southern exposure by opening all the living spaces to southern decks protected by overhangs, mahogany louvers and galvanized steel trellises. These elements create a layered presence on this sloped site and soften the edge of the house against the meadow and the ocean view. The site strategy reduces the impact on the site by reusing the existing foundation of an original house. The footprint is only expanded on the northeast to add the master bedroom in a more private corner of the site, while preserving the cedar and juniper trees around it, and adding a guest studio over part of the original driveway. The design also added a second floor with two roof decks to maximize the views of Pamet Harbor and Cape Cod Bay. 

The plan is divided between two volumes in weathered cedar siding. The main house contains the primary living spaces and bedrooms. A small studio with bedroom, kitchenette, and living space occupies the second volume. The two volumes play against one another to create a sculptural, layered and captured space between. A south-facing ipe deck with a cedar and galvanized steel trellis connects the volumes and extends the living areas to the outdoors. In the main house, ten-foot ceilings and abundant glazing take advantage of southern light in the winter, while mahogany louvers and large overhangs shade the main living spaces in the summer. The operable clerestory windows create a “stack effect” drawing hot air up and through the house and increasing cross ventilation. The uppermost roof deck allows panoramic views of the surrounding hills and the bay yet is hidden behind overhangs and trellises that provide privacy from the street and maintain the integrity of the form and roof lines.