Coughlin Scheel Lifts Cedar Fire Island House 10 Feet Above Sand

Brooklyn-based Coughlin Scheel Architects has completed Surf Road House, a cedar-clad residence on Fire Island, New York, raised 10 feet (three metres) above the ground on wood pilings driven as deep as 35 feet (10.6 metres) below grade.

The elevation responds to the site's exposure. The house sits outside the town of Ocean Beach within a designated Coastal Erosion Hazard Area — a zone with shorelines receding a foot or more per year, according to New York's Department of Environmental Conservation.

Fire Island is a narrow barrier island reached by ferry. Motor vehicles are largely prohibited there, a restriction that protects its delicate landscape and directly shaped the architecture.

The property previously held a 1950s house, which the team razed. Federal, state and local rules pushed the design through what the studio called an "extended approvals process". The pre-existing structure ultimately worked in the project's favour: it allowed the team to "maximize the allowable footprint and add a second storey", according to Coughlin Scheel Architects.

The house is rectangular in plan, with a boxy form broken up by overhangs and pilasters that "introduce rhythm, depth and shadow". Vertical and horizontal striped elements on the exterior lend the building a linear quality. Cedar siding, coloured to allude to dunes and driftwood, ties the house to its surroundings.

Large windows on the southern facade open the interiors to ocean views. The north side, which overlooks a path, remains more opaque.

Access defines the arrival sequence. A staircase and a switchback-style ramp, both enclosed in wood-slat walls, lead to the main entrance on the first level. On a car-free island, the studio noted, this is not a stylistic choice but a necessity.

"Since Fire Island is car-free, everyone brings items from the ferry in wagons – and every house needs a ramp," the team said. "Ramps and stairs become an integral part of the design exercise and remain part of the Fire Island entry ritual."

Inside the 2,200-square-foot (204-square-metre) house, the first level holds an open-plan space for cooking, dining and lounging, which flows onto a terrace overlooking the beach. An outdoor shower lets occupants rinse off sand before going in. The first floor also contains a bedroom suite; three more bedrooms sit on the top level. An interior staircase and an outdoor spiral staircase connect the storeys.

Interior finishes include white cabinetry, wooden wall cladding and slatted ceilings that echo the exterior. A curved ceiling at the entryway "adds movement and softness to the more geometric, linear architectural gestures", according to the studio.

The ground-level space beneath the house, enclosed by wooden screens, stores beach gear and bikes.

Surf Road House joins a run of recent Fire Island projects, including a mid-century house renovated by the founders of BoND into what they called a "machine for voyeurism", and a cedar-clad 1960s house renovated and expanded by Andrew Franz. Photography of the new build is by Alan Tansey.

As erosion continues to redraw the island's shoreline at a foot or more each year, the piling-raised house offers a model for how architects can build on protected coastal ground without waiting for the water to decide the outcome.