Poolhouse
A 24-foot square sits at the edge of a stream in Chilmark, suspended between forest floor and canopy. The Studio continues our investigation into umbrella structures - wooden frames that use standard dimensional lumber in unexpected configurations, creating shelter through repetition and precise joinery rather than mass.
This prototype extends the vocabulary established by The Glasshouse while pushing toward greater enclosure. Where the Glasshouse dissolves boundaries between interior and exterior, The Studio creates deliberate thresholds. Glass, steel, and wood layer to define 250 square feet of protected space - enough room for a bed, a desk, essential storage. Large windows frame specific views: stream below, trees beyond, sky above. Light moves across surfaces as the day progresses, marking time through shadow and brightness.
The umbrella frame overhead does what all good structures should: it carries load while creating form, solving technical requirements while establishing spatial character. Standard lumber becomes something else entirely when arranged in radial patterns, reaching outward from central points to create geometric canopies that shelter without enclosing.
Outside, a deck extends into the woods. Inside, the minimum necessary for solitude and work. Guests move between Studio and Glasshouse through the landscape itself, the forest becoming corridor and threshold. The compact footprint concentrates experience rather than limiting it - proving that spaciousness is as much about relationship to surroundings as interior square footage.
This is architecture as ongoing research: building to test ideas, learning from how people actually inhabit experimental forms, refining our understanding of modular systems and their relationship to site.
Project Type:
Residential, Private Client
Experimental Construction
Year Built:
2022
Location:
Edgartown, MA
Client:
Private Client
Project Design:
Erin Pellegrino +
Charlie Firestone
Photography:
Nikole Bouchard
Erin Pellegrino
Prototype in Practice
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The Studio continues our exploration of umbrella frames - wooden structures that radiate outward from central points to create geometric canopies. Standard dimensional lumber, arranged in radial patterns and joined with precision, becomes something other than itself. The system solves structural requirements while establishing spatial character, carrying load through form rather than mass. Each beam reaches from center to edge, the repetition creating rhythm and the geometry defining shelter.
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A 24-foot square perched where forest meets stream in Chilmark, Massachusetts. The Studio sits deliberately at this threshold - not deep in the woods, not fully in the clearing, but balanced between. The site dictated the approach: glass walls frame specific views of water and canopy, the deck extends toward the stream, and the compact footprint minimizes impact on the sloped terrain while maximizing connection to surroundings.
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As part of The Glasshouse, The Studio functions as ongoing research. Guests inhabit the space - sleeping, working, moving between structures through the landscape. Their experience informs our understanding of how modular systems perform in real conditions, how compact spaces feel when carefully proportioned, how people actually use experimental architecture. The feedback loop between design intention and lived reality sharpens our practice.
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Two hundred fifty square feet contains the essentials: bed, desk, storage. Large windows dissolve the sense of enclosure while maintaining privacy. The deck doubles the usable area, extending living space into the trees. Light shifts across interior surfaces throughout the day, marking time through shadow and brightness. The compact dimensions become an asset - proving that spaciousness comes from relationship to surroundings as much as interior square footage.
Making Connections
