longport residence
borough of longport, atlantic county, new jersey
additions and renovations
This undertaking marks the latest building project in the evolution of a remnant late 19th century New Jersey beach cottage. The current building, post addition and renovation, attempts to effect a more contemporary aesthetic with the building’s extant condition. This project involved all site, landscape, architectural, and interior design.
The transformations to this remnant late 19th century one room cottage—formerly an accessory to a long ago-removed main house—had, over time, resulted in an uncoordinated physical manifestation, but, nonetheless, one conducive to the expression of a more modern, ad hoc, and playful aesthetic within the inherited context of the materials and form of the original, nonetheless evolved, structure. The most recent addition sought to enlarge only the Kitchen and Dining Area, while avoiding the need to construct on pylons, which would have been most difficult given the age and adjacency of the existing building. To that end, a three-dimensional and cantilevered timber "superstructure" provided the framework for a new exterior eastern wall that extends only two and one half feet from the existing foundation, thereby also preserving the driveway access to an existing detached garage.
interior design
As part of the renovations and additions undertaken with this vacation home, a number of the interior spaces were transformed to render the experience from within more consumptive of its ocean view potential, consistent with the new architectural aesthetic and expression. What started out as a most modest cottage, characterized by very small rooms and “punched” fenestration, evolved into a relatively open plan format to result in a seamless extension of the interior to the outside and an exaggerated sense of scale to the rooms themselves.
landscape design
As with many shore properties, two relatively unique and significant considerations effect the development of a domestic landscape solution to the area outside a residence. One is the influence of the environmental conditions unique to a location in proximity to the ocean, particularly the salt air, sandy soils and frequently more windy conditions than those experienced on the nearby mainland. The second consideration is often the size of the property being landscaped, but, perhaps more significant, the size of the buildings in relation to the property and its proximity to the property lines, and, therefore, the proximity of adjacent houses and uses. In response, the landscape design is very simple and one that utilizes the site components to afford a greater degree of privacy. In the case of the Longport Residence, Cee Jay Frederick Associates placed a greater emphasis on the role of the hardscape, site amenities, and articulated and detached building components to work in concert with a simple and direct approach to the landscape, effectively providing a most satisfying and aesthetically pleasing solution.
