30’ X 80” slice of ocean front sand. This site resides at an urban edge in transition, where a dense fabric of older, unremarkable structures must coexist with more contemporary dwellings. The Clients, a married couple, required a house for themselves and occasional family guests. The house is organized to allow for a visual connection with a very public Strand and Beach, while providing more private domains for entertaining and personal habitation. Purposefully Orchestrated Experience Opening the house to the sky and the ocean is the principal way that this house reveals its inner spatial experience. A composition of articulated shapes organized over a solid base. Exterior elevations are a composition of solid, rectilinear stucco elements that are strategically subtracted to reveal a contrasting, inner layer of sloping, cedar siding, glazed window walls and cantilevered deck platforms; all organized over a base of porcelain tile. Single Family Beach Residence: 3400 sf Completed: 2011 Commissioned by private clients Located in Hermosa Beach, California

Tucker Design Awards celebrate the innovation and vision that designers bring to their projects through the specification and use of natural stone materials. For members of the Natural Stone Institute, acknowledgement as a contributor to a Tucker Design Awards winning project is a genuine tribute to their traditional values, physicality of work and dedication to precise specifications required in the realization of such accomplished architectural design. Landscape Architect Design Workshop, Aspen, CO Architect Poss Architecture, Aspen, CO Landscape Contractor Landscape Workshop, Carbondale, CO Stone Supplier/Installer Gallegos Corporation, Wolcott, CO Stone Quarry Arkins Park Stone, Loveland, CO Within walled boundaries, Woody Creek Garden embraces its high alpine environment through explorations of stone and water that serve as unifying elements of form in the design of the various outdoor spaces. Through striking and distinctively detailed stonework, water is portrayed in its various states and forms – atmospheric mist, single rivulets, cascades, and still pools. Two courtyards interlink the residence allowing each room to enjoy the visual landscape. In the entrance courtyard, the sound from a carved 24”x 24” cut-granite fountain reverberates throughout the walled space. Placed for gathering and quiet contemplation, a pin-wheel arrangement of sculptural, granite slabs provide a honed surface for sitting while providing year-round interest. Each stone was individually specified with intentionally spaced core fractures, utilizing the extraction method to serve as sculpted details. Large sandstone pavers, set in sand and cut in an irregular, but geometric fashion bring a sense of modernity to the space. Throughout the property, stone detailing seek to heighten one’s experience of the landscape and views. Upon the home’s entry, an 18” rectilinear cut in the freestanding stone wall frames a distant peak, creating a singular reference to the outside world in this encased space. Emerging from the center of an organically-shaped carved sandstone slab, water is carried along a narrow 2” runnel sandstone cap, disappearing into the framed horizon. This glimpse to the west is the only opening in the tightly enclosed courtyard. From its opposite aspect, the feature creates a welcoming gesture at the home’s front entrance. The slender rivulet of water trickles from the sandstone slab above onto a honed granite plane, set within a sandstone terrace In contrast, a second promontory courtyard commands a strong presence over its alpine setting, leaving the steeply sloping site undisturbed. A 12’x 40’ reflecting pool – a thin sheet of water over honed black granite – captures the form and silence of the everchanging natural environment on its taut surface. Along its edge, water flows over a ½” radius edge, disappearing into a recirculating slot. Commissioned by Italian artist Bruno Romeda, a bronze sculpture rests upon an elevated granite plinth. Along its western edge, designers crafted a two-tiered, infinity edge detail. In the first vertical drop, water flows between the pool and perimeter stone walls, landing onto an intermediate bench, while the second drop introduces a chamfered edge, allowing water to embrace the vertical relief without splashing. Sandstone terraces provide continuous access to the various landscape features of the garden. At the base of the battered perimeter walls, a sandstone path leads to a fire pit, encircled by lichen-covered boulders. Along the courtyard’s eastern perimeter, water appears to emerge from the hillside, fracturing and falling against the irregular vertical stone wall, melting in a curtain-like formation behind the spa. The colors, distinctive detailing and striking stonework were selected based on their appropriateness to the context. From above, a rectilinear pool lies behind the wall, silently mirroring the sky above and offering no ostensible connection to the structure or to its source.

Overview: Located in Estero, Florida, Verdana Village is a new planned community that offers a wide range of amenities and outdoor activities for residents. With its proximity to beautiful beaches and the peaceful Estero River, the community is a popular choice for families seeking a vibrant and active lifestyle. Features: The centerpiece of the community is a spacious pool and pool deck area, which boasts a variety of high-quality facilities. These include both indoor and outdoor tennis and pickleball courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a versatile movement studio, and a convenient full-service café for residents to enjoy. Design Solution: To provide much-needed shade for pool deck users, Azenco was commissioned to design and install a series of durable and elegant 8’ x 8’ pool pergola structures. With no limitations on where the pergolas could be placed, the team focused on selecting the most robust and visually appealing options. The Azenco R-SHADE system was chosen for its insulated fixed roof panels, effectively blocking the sun's rays and providing respite from passing showers. Additionally, the hidden gutter system of the R-SHADE ensures that rainwater is efficiently channeled away from the pergola space, keeping guests dry and comfortable during their stay.

A contemporary Polynesian hut: that was the idea our clients brought us when they asked Charles Rose Architects to do a second project on their expansive property on the Charles River, southwest of Boston. All agreed that the new pool house should be wood construction—in part, to create a similar look and feel to the first project we designed there, a “play barn” with two large rooms, separated by an outdoor space that frames views of an adjacent pond. Our clients had won approval from a local conservation commission for a rectangular structure. We started by carving out a corner, creating a spacious covered outdoor sitting area. The heavy timber frame supports a modified gabled roof; the peak is pulled off-center so that the pool house subtly connects with the geometry of the play barn. Red cedar was used throughout, creating rich, warm hues from exposed beams, custom doors and millwork. Photo Credit: John Linden

Studio Saxe was commissioned to design a beachfront house in the beautiful town of Santa Teresa in Costa Rica. We decided to integrate the jungle experience into the house and also frame the views of the ocean whilst blending with nature. Concept Studio Saxe decomposed the mass of the building into a series of pavilions with overlapping roofs that create interesting circulation spaces between the volumes. By dematerializing the volumes, we integrated the home into its lush surroundings. Design Studio Saxe used the decomposition of volumes to house the different programs of the project. Pavilions are divided into bedrooms, living spaces, service areas, and together they create a harmony that is weaved together through the circulation of indoor/outdoor spaces. This in turn allows the inhabitant to experience the intense natural surrounding every time they have to move from one place to the other. Sustainability The project was conceived as a decomposition of the volumes and this allowed for cross-ventilation due to the exposure of every space to at least 2 or 3 walls to the outside. The extended rooflines are carefully placed to protect from the sun and the rain through a process of bioclimatic design which analyzes the sun patterns, winds, and precipitation to create comfort without the use of energy. An array of sustainable systems such as rainwater catchment, water recycling systems, energy generation, and clever design makes this project a pioneer in sustainable tropical architecture that has passive design at its core. Construction Studio Saxe was interested in creating the sensation of floating rooflines, thus a series of thin columns support the roof planes in a way that they seem as they are floating A combination of steel and wood construction with concrete foundations allowed for the lightness of space, and this bleeding of boundaries between the structure and the outside.

Designed by LWPAC and built by Vanglo Sustainable Construction Group, this singular residence makes the most of a very tight lot. CYAN Horticulture was commissioned to implement a low-maintenance planting plan and ensure regular maintenance of the grounds. Boxwood, yews and a specimen Japanese maple give structure to the space while ornamental grasses and bamboo add a softer touch to the ensemble. photo credit: Ema Peter

Commissioned by Makena Herget, this Osprey was made by Barney Zeitz. Barney Zeitz is a gifted and versatile artist. He forges glass and metal into breathtaking fusions of light and structure. This sculpture sits on a ball bearing and rotates into the wind like it is actually flying. The Osprey has an impressive 54″ wing span.

Awarded 2023 Honorable Mention Award by the American Institute of Architects Central MA Chapter Passion project of our Dendochronologist client and his family, this addition shelters a set of spaces meant to feel both indoors and outdoors. Conditioned only by sun, wind, and the woodstove, the room functions as a multi-purpose glazed porch. ​Surrounding the 1950 house of a style so common in the New England Landscape, our client has worked for a decade to “re-wild” the suburban yard with plantings gathered on fieldtrips around the region. Turning its back to the house, this addition treads lightly into this rich and textured landscape. As the largest room in the house, it will host Thanksgiving dinner as well as it shelters quiet reading by the fire and cocktail parties in the gallery space and cookouts on the back porch. Aligned to extend our addition as close to the property line as bylaws permit, a diagonal wall also expresses the inside-outside connection’s incremental expansion to the North. Structure, shelter, enclosure, and fenestration act and and react to each other to modulate inhabitants’ relative senses of prospect and refuge. The Donna Dodson sculpture Redwing Rose was commissioned for the space.

This newly built home, nestled in Wellesley Hills was commissioned by an active and busy young family. A flowing balustrade invites visitors into the formal entry. The interior trim and custom cabinetwork are elegantly detailed throughout. A collaborative design effort allowed the children to help with the design of their own spaces. Payne/Bouchier also employed green building materials and techniques, including a geothermal heating system and an exterior envelope that features a Structural Insulated Panel Systems. Design: Will Truslow, Keith Brown, Gerald Pomeroy Interiors, Payne | Bouchier Design Department Photography: Mike Fein

The client commissioned ARCA Unlimited to design their family home in Southdowns Estate. The design had to take advantage of the beautiful surrounds, whilst providing privacy from public spaces. Solid southern- and western street boundaries with perforated aluminium screens provide privacy while allowing filtered natural light into the house. A visual axis extends through the front door and entrance gallery and penetrates this privacy barrier. It links to a formal landscaped courtyard and the views beyond. A deck and seamless floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors create the threshold between inside and out. The concept of seamless transition is carried through to detailing: the simplest possible transition between different building materials is utilised. Living and bedroom spaces are orientated inward around the internal courtyard. Rhythmic progressing of proportions with honest expression of structure and materials help to orientate the user and make the architecture more intelligible. Photographs by Malan Kotze Photography

This newly built home, nestled in Wellesley Hills was commissioned by an active and busy young family. A flowing balustrade invites visitors into the formal entry. The interior trim and custom cabinetwork are elegantly detailed throughout. A collaborative design effort allowed the children to help with the design of their own spaces. Payne/Bouchier also employed green building materials and techniques, including a geothermal heating system and an exterior envelope that features a Structural Insulated Panel Systems. Design: Will Truslow, Keith Brown, Gerald Pomeroy Interiors, Payne | Bouchier Design Department Photography: Mike Fein

For this Victorian-era home in the Albany historic district, it was essential for us to maintain historic design guidelines. This required a historic design review and approval by the Historic Landmarks Commission before we could start the project. Once approved, we replicated the existing porch design while removing the poor framing details supporting the porch. Almost everything out of view was in dangerous disrepair and required complete reconstruction. In addition to restoring the porch in accordance with historic design guidelines, we repaired the wood windows and installed matching storm windows. Our clients now enjoy the stunning curb appeal of their historic home and peace of mind knowing the structure is solid. Funny Story: Halfway through this project, someone lost control of their vehicle as it headed in the direction of the home. Luckily, they regained control of their vehicle 4 feet from the project, avoiding a huge disaster!

Overview: Located in Estero, Florida, Verdana Village is a new planned community that offers a wide range of amenities and outdoor activities for residents. With its proximity to beautiful beaches and the peaceful Estero River, the community is a popular choice for families seeking a vibrant and active lifestyle. Features: The centerpiece of the community is a spacious pool and pool deck area, which boasts a variety of high-quality facilities. These include both indoor and outdoor tennis and pickleball courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a versatile movement studio, and a convenient full-service café for residents to enjoy. Design Solution: To provide much-needed shade for pool deck users, Azenco was commissioned to design and install a series of durable and elegant 8’ x 8’ pool pergola structures. With no limitations on where the pergolas could be placed, the team focused on selecting the most robust and visually appealing options. The Azenco R-SHADE system was chosen for its insulated fixed roof panels, effectively blocking the sun's rays and providing respite from passing showers. Additionally, the hidden gutter system of the R-SHADE ensures that rainwater is efficiently channeled away from the pergola space, keeping guests dry and comfortable during their stay.

For this Victorian-era home in the Albany historic district, it was essential for us to maintain historic design guidelines. This required a historic design review and approval by the Historic Landmarks Commission before we could start the project. Once approved, we replicated the existing porch design while removing the poor framing details supporting the porch. Almost everything out of view was in dangerous disrepair and required complete reconstruction. In addition to restoring the porch in accordance with historic design guidelines, we repaired the wood windows and installed matching storm windows. Our clients now enjoy the stunning curb appeal of their historic home and peace of mind knowing the structure is solid. Funny Story: Halfway through this project, someone lost control of their vehicle as it headed in the direction of the home. Luckily, they regained control of their vehicle 4 feet from the project, avoiding a huge disaster!

It was foretold to both client and architect that they would find in each other the ideal client and the ideal architect. And, so it came to pass that this collector of American folk art commissioned Morpurgo Architects to design a contemporary residence that would encompass her historic Dutch Colonial barn. The barn frame was disassembled, the 200-year-old chestnut beams were restored and the barn was reconstructed in the same configuration on new pier footings on the adjoining property. The open living space rises 35 feet, exposing multiple levels of timber framing and braces. The loft spaces and floating staircases intertwine with the barn structure, uniting the modern and the historic. Two main galleries overlook the soaring frame, creating a sense of immediacy to the monumental timbers and their joinery. This contemporary house is infused with the spirit of the old barn, and the barn framing, freestanding and self-supporting, has become the most prominent piece in our client’s noteworthy collection.

This newly built home, nestled in Wellesley Hills was commissioned by an active and busy young family. A flowing balustrade invites visitors into the formal entry. The interior trim and custom cabinetwork are elegantly detailed throughout. A collaborative design effort allowed the children to help with the design of their own spaces. Payne/Bouchier also employed green building materials and techniques, including a geothermal heating system and an exterior envelope that features a Structural Insulated Panel Systems. Design: Will Truslow, Keith Brown, Gerald Pomeroy Interiors, Payne | Bouchier Design Department Photography: Mike Fein

A contemporary Polynesian hut: that was the idea our clients brought us when they asked Charles Rose Architects to do a second project on their expansive property on the Charles River, southwest of Boston. All agreed that the new pool house should be wood construction—in part, to create a similar look and feel to the first project we designed there, a “play barn” with two large rooms, separated by an outdoor space that frames views of an adjacent pond. Our clients had won approval from a local conservation commission for a rectangular structure. We started by carving out a corner, creating a spacious covered outdoor sitting area. The heavy timber frame supports a modified gabled roof; the peak is pulled off-center so that the pool house subtly connects with the geometry of the play barn. Red cedar was used throughout, creating rich, warm hues from exposed beams, custom doors and millwork. Photo Credit: John Linden

This commission involved the renovation and conversion of two duplex apartments into one single residence/retreat. The two existing external stairs were removed and replaced by a single internal staircase. This intervention made it possible to create one large outdoor area and maximise the existing view. The steel canopies and wooden sun terraces act as visual links between the two original living units. In collaboration with Minimum Arquitectura. Foto's © Verne en Raül Candales Franch

This outdoor living project was a full outdoor kitchen and landscape design-build commission focused on creating a more intentional, connected landscape around a home with strong architectural character. Terraces, outdoor rooms, circulation, and planting were redesigned to feel cohesive from arrival through the rear garden. Hardscape, grading, drainage, and planting were planned as one composition, resulting in a quieter, more settled outdoor environment aligned with the architecture. Stonework, restrained detailing, and a calm planting palette give the space permanence, while improved site logic and planting structure create clearer movement, better function, and a refined outdoor living experience.