Westport, Massachusetts, USA
A 200-year-old field was subdivided into four equal lots. The design responds to this arbitrary subdivision by preserving the agrarian character of the landscape through a series of restrained architectural strategies.
Slide-By House by Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects, won an American Architecture Award 2025 from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The first principle was to maintain low building profiles. The structures have an eave height of 12 feet and rise to 17 feet at the gable peaks, ensuring that they remain visually subordinate to the surrounding landscape.
The second principle was to adopt simple forms that reflect the character of local farm architecture. An 18-foot-wide gable accommodates the primary living spaces and is complemented by a flat-roofed porch and carport.
A straightforward arrangement of two overlapping gable volumes provides an effective balance of solar orientation, views, and privacy.
The third principle was to employ simple, locally sourced materials and carefully restrained detailing. Locally cut and air-dried 1 × 12 eastern white pine boards are used for all siding, soffits, and trim, while the roofs are finished with 5-V-Crimp Galvalume.
All rakes and eaves incorporate 8-inch overhangs. Window and door openings are minimised and carefully grouped, reinforcing the clarity and strength of the building forms.
The fourth principle was to position the buildings along the edges of the lots rather than at their centres, preserving the largest possible area of the original field as open landscape.
The interiors follow the same principles of simplicity and clarity established on the exterior. Each major space expresses the gable section, while the overlapping layout is reflected internally through views that juxtapose the long exterior façades with the linear interior circulation spaces.
The house is fully electric and equipped with 37 roof-mounted solar panels. It has operated at net-zero energy for over a year.
Its elongated north–south orientation reduces unwanted heat gain and heat loss through the large glazed areas while providing an optimal orientation for solar energy generation.
Project: Slide-By House
Architects: Estes Twombly + Titrington Architects
Lead Architect: Peter Twombly
Design Team: Peter Twombly and Michael Morris
General Contractor: Granville Builders
Client: Private
Photographers: Warren Jagger Photography
