Page 84 - Fall 2019

Washingtonian Residential Design Award

House on the
Intracoastal Waterway
Rehoboth, DE
Gardner Architects LLC

Kitchen Designers: Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath
Landscape Architects: Jordan Honeyman
Landscape Architecture
Structural Engineers: 1200 Architectural Engineers
Geotechnical Engineers: John D. Hynes & Associates, Inc.
General Contractor: Beachwood, Inc.

This house in Rehoboth, Delaware, has a similar
program to the Wildcat Mountain Residence, but reflects
a more informal, beachier vibe. For example, the guest
Waterfront façade of the House on the Intracoastal Waterway. Photo © John Cole Photography
accommodations are called the “Bunk Room.” The
geometries are somewhat more playful, mixing traditional
and modernist forms.
Gardner Architects focused on environmental aspects
of the project, particularly appropriate for a low-lying
site facing across the Intracoastal Waterway toward pro-
tected wetlands. On the surface, one sees an appealing
work of architecture, but underlying every move is an
effort to enhance its sustainability and livability. The
shape of the house, for example, deliberately puts out-
door spaces in shade for key periods of the day—appro-
priate for a house primarily used in the summer—and
catches prevailing breezes to reduce dependence on
mechanical HVAC. The skylight at the top of the stair
hall is operable, creating natural stack ventilation when
opened; the stair hall itself is positioned within the house
to make the most of this energy-saving feature.
The house has a geothermal well system, which uses
the constant temperature of the earth to provide highly-
efficient heating and cooling, as well as an ERV (energy
recovery ventilator), which pulls heat (or lack of heat, in
the summer) out of exhaust air, transferring it to supply
air. The building envelope is highly insulated, including View from the porch toward the water. Photo © John Cole Photography
high-performance windows. The architects provided
shading devices—sliding wood slats at the bunk house Kitchen and dining area. Photo © John Cole Photography
wing, pull-down shades at the living room’s porch—to
deal with the worst of the afternoon sun.
In the surrounding area, many of the houses are
raised an entire story above grade to deal with storm
surge potential. This conveniently allows car parking
and storage to go below the house, but it separates the
house from its site and nature. For this house, the archi-
tects positioned it several feet above grade (sufficient for
storm surges), with gentle, almost imperceptible terraces
in the yard and decks to maintain a strong connection to
the earth.
This project was previously featured in the Summer 2018
issue of ARCHITECTUREDC.

82 ARCHITECTURE AHEAD