AIA Design Awards - Last Day to Vote Online for Your Favorite Project!

Voting ends today for the AIA NH Excellence in Design People's Choice Awards!  

Bonin Architects submitted a custom home on Lake Sunapee to be considered for the Awards.  Help us get the People's Choice Award two years in a row by voting online!

 Our project, # 1, The Landing, located in Blodgettt Landing, Lake Sunapee in Newbury, NH replaced an old uninsulated family summer cottage on the property.  Design goals were to maximize living space, lakefront views, and capture as much natural daylight as possible while maintaining privacy between close neighboring homes.  With four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths, the design addresses all of the client needs.  Recreation areas and a home theatre provide options for children and adults alike.

An open stair anchors the home and creates a focal point, celebrating the four story design.  The basement provides direct lake access, ample storage, and a full bathroom for showering after enjoying the lake.

Site placement and interior programming / design conform to property setbacks, neighboring homes less than 7 feet away, and CSPA guidelines.  A 5% decrease in the impermeable impact of the site (53% to 48%) was achieved with an overall smaller building footprint and reduction in paved/hardscaped areas.


Please take time to vote for Project #1, The Landing!

Vote on the AIA site:  http://www.aianh.org/design_awards_vote2012.asp

Bonin Architects Wins Two AIANH Excellence in Architecture Design Awards

We were pleasantly surprised Saturday night at the AIANH Excellence in Architecture Award ceremony when our Lakefront Cottage Renovation project won TWO Awards:  The Merit Award and the People’s Choice Award in Residential Architecture!

Entries were judged on overall design excellence including aesthetics, clarity, creativity, appropriate functionality, sustainability, building performance, and appropriateness with regard to fulfilling the client's program. The entries were also previewed in the January/February 2011 issue of NH Home Magazine.  Winning entries will be featured in a future issue.

Residential Architecture: Lakefront Cottage Renovation

Architect: Jeremy Bonin, Bonin Architects & Associates

Merit Award and People’s Choice Award, Residential Architecture

Project Description:

Originally one of eleven cabins on “The Point”, the recently subdivided property left this and one other cabin in close proximity to the beautiful beach and lake. Removal of the ‘point’ cabin allowed for a meandering path from renovated cottage to the dock as well as substantially opening the view to the lake from the remaining cabin.

A newly exposed cathedral ceiling is warm and inviting as are the reused and repositioned windows and doors for capturing lakeside views and breezes. Salvaged and refinished from the cottage are framing lumber, T&G boards and floors. Finishes and materials are low or no VOC products and even the woodstove is a found item making a new home in this beautiful location.

With material reuse and minimal site impact as two principal goals throughout the design and renovation process, the resultant cabin provides for three seasons of comfortable lakefront access and family gatherings.

The 2011 jury was comprised of representatives from the State of Maine’s architecture community: James A. Sterling, AIA, Portland; Ellen Belknap, AIA, SMRT Architects, Portland; and Walter Arsenault, AIA, Fraser Matson Architecture & Planning, Falmouth.

Juror Comments: “Understated, simple, cost effective renovation. Excellent use of limited space. Restrained and authentic in use of materials and details. In some ways, this is the most appealing project …. maybe it speaks to the desire for simplicity in all of us.”

See more photos of this award-winning cottage at http://www.boninarchitects.com/lakefrontcottage.html

About The American Institute of Architects: For 150 years, members of The American Institute of Architects have worked with each other and their communities to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings and cityscapes. AIA members have access to the right people, knowledge, and tools to create better design, and through such resources and access, they help clients and communities make their visions real. www.aia.org

 

About Jeremy Bonin and Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC: Jeremy Bonin, a principal partner of Bonin Architects & Associates, is an award-winning architect and the author of TIMBER FRAMES: Designing Your Custom Home.  Jeremy has a special interest in sustainable design and green homes with a specialty in green building and renewable energy systems. 

Bonin Architects & Associates, led by Kimberly Bonin and Jeremy Bonin AIA NCARB LEED AP, located in New London, NH, is a national   architectural firm licensed in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.  www.boninarchitects.com

source: http://greenhomedesignarchitect.blogspot.com/2011/01/award-winning-nh-lakefront-cottage.html

Timber Frame Under Construction

Construction is continuing at our timber home being built in Enfield, NH.  Here is the home with the timber frame exposed and then with SIP panels installed

The roofing is almost complete here.  The homeowners are enjoying being involved in every phase of the construction and are busy making decisions on finish material!

Lunch breaks are taken by the new dock on the lake.  Who wouldn't want a view like this?

Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) helps protect New Hampshire lakes and ponds from erosion and sedimentation as a result of construction and land use activities within 250’ of the shoreline, affecting all homeowners planning to build on or subdivide New Hampshire lakefront property.

The primary purpose of the Act is a good one - to prevent water runoff from going directly into the lake. Excess nutrients in runoff lead to excessive plant and algae growth which eventually starves the lake of oxygen and in turn suffocates fish and other aquatic life. Nutrients and sediment also speed up the lake’s natural aging process, slowly filling it in. Trees and plants at the edge of the lake can filter sediment, soak up nutrients, and protect the lake. One of the focuses of the CSPA is to restrict the number of trees cut near the shoreline.

The Act originally passed the NH Legislature in 1994 and recently went through a stringent reevaluation process to tighten up the laws protecting our lakes and ponds. Amendments were originally scheduled to go into effect April 1, 2008, but due to the complexity of the laws, lawmakers postponed the date to July 1st.

Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth said the changes in the Shoreland Protection Act are difficult to understand and supported the postponement. "Nobody really likes moving legislative deadlines, but for the health of our environment, and the health of our economy, we need to have additional time to solve the ambiguities here and to educate the public.”

Many “gray areas” still exist in the Act and its amendments including restrictions on building size, accessory structures and the amount of clearing that can be done, boathouse construction, and conflicting state vs. town setback requirements.

As a result, many people are coming to us for help in making sure their home plan is in compliance with these regulations. If you are planning to build an energy efficient home on New Hampshire lakefront property, we’re happy to help you get started designing a home plan that meets these amended requirements (along with any other existing regulations), as well as your family’s wants and needs in a primary or vacation home.

Jeremy Bonin, AIA NCARB LEED AP

Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC

Green Home Specifications - Sustainable Design and Green Building Materials

Our clients, Pat and Andy Beres (see previous blog), met Green Architect Jeremy Bonin at a timber frame home show and brought him their plans to build a vacation home on their property in Maine. Here is an example of how Jeremy took into consideration Pat and Andy’s ideas, wants, and needs for a green home and translated them into an energy efficient home plan that not only matches their property and location, but defines their lifestyle.

Beres’ green home priorities:
Small footprint to minimize carbon footprint
Energy efficiency in all four New England seasons
Environmentally conscious to minimize site impact
Low maintenance and durability, easy to open and close up
Security in rural setting
Take advantage of lake views
Possible addition in future

Jeremy translated these ideas into an energy efficient home plan and presented it to Pat and Andy. Here is a list of the sustainable design considerations he incorporated, as well as the energy efficient building materials to match their requirements for energy efficiency:

Sustainable design considerations:
· Passive solar design, with the first floor receiving the low winter sun (early morning and late evening sun) under the varied depth of the porch roof. The second floor, with a moderate roof overhang, will always have abundant natural light.
· The east, south, and west elevations have windows for natural cross ventilation. A cupola was added to allow for heat release in summer as well as aesthetics.
· Keeping in mind the clients’ plans to possibly build an addition in the future, Jeremy designed the north side of the building, which is the most buildable side of the property, to be easily expanded. The first floor laundry includes a storage bench under a window, both of which can be easily removed and become a doorway into a future addition.
· An open central stairway eliminates the need for hallways which keeps the footprint of the home to a minimum, as well as increasing circulation and natural light between the floors.
· A natural color palette of browns and greens was chosen for the exterior of the home, blending it with the rugged Maine environment.

Energy efficient building materials for this green home:
· Board and batten and red cedar shingles for low maintenance and are aesthetically appropriate with the property
· Standing seam metal roof for energy efficiency and eliminating snow and ice buildup
· Possible use of structural insulated panels
· Energy efficient windows

Building a green home doesn’t need to be complicated. Start off on the right foot by hiring an architect who will outline sustainable options for your green home and then work with you to design a home that fits your site, your lifestyle, and your budget. The result will be enjoying a healthy, energy efficient home and at the same time protecting the environment.

If you’re looking for some reading material to help you get your ideas together on what you want in a green home, check out Jeremy’s book, TIMBER FRAMES: Designing Your Custom Home. Jeremy leads you through an examination of your lifestyle and provides exercises to help you define your wants, needs, and priorities in your green home. If you are not interested in building a timber frame home, a hybrid home combining timber framing and conventional material may suit your needs for a green home. The exercises and sustainable design advice in Jeremy's book apply to any building methods.

Read more about the Beres' energy efficient home.

Jackie Lampiasi, Marketing Director
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC

Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act

One of the most popular topics of discussion at the Lakeside Living Expo in Gilford, NH last weekend was the Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA). Several of our new clients from the show are building in the lakes area and will have to abide by these new regulations.

Since Bonin Architects is currently working with clients who have been affected by this legislation, we have, by necessity, become experts in this area. When considering a new timber frame home or energy efficient home design, contacting an architectural firm with licensed staff and construction managers who have experience in this field is imperative. In many cases, plans with the stamp of a licensed design professional (an architect for example) are required to be submitted for record and permits.

The Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (CSPA) was first enacted in 1994 and states the common view that "the shorelands of [New Hampshire] are among its most valuable and fragile natural resources." RSA 483-B:1. The Shoreland Protection Act has helped maintain clean lakes and rivers by requiring waterfront landowners to keep specific amounts of vegetation, trees and even stones and boulders on their properties, regulating impermeable surfaces such as pavement and restricting the homes placement on the lot. As of July 1st 2008, revised regulations took effect which include a “Natural Woodland Buffer” as well as requirements for shoreline frontage and other critical guidelines. Bonin Architects & Associates can explain these requirements to our clients when we visit your site and take the measurements for the placement of your new green home.

Kimberly Bonin, Executive Project Manager
Bonin Architects & Associates, PLLC