Penny Candy Cove Camp

Project Location: Downeast, Maine

Award: 2009 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award

Nestled into the base of a granite mountain and overlooking a lake, this three-season camp affords an active young family the opportunity to spend quality time together in an unspoiled native Maine landscape. Sensitive preservation of the property’s natural features and a building form that intentionally looks like it was developed over a lifetime provides instant nostalgia and gives the impression that the camp has always been a part of the family.

Our goal was to create a rustic, summer camp environment for a family with young children, an experience our clients cherished from their own childhoods. Our site-specific design and orientation of the structure allowed for the preservation of the property’s incredible natural features. Thoughtful design attention to the orientation of indoor and outdoor spaces allows maximum natural daylighting and an ocean view from all bedrooms and a second-floor balcony.

The carefully planned hierarchy of spaces provides a sensible scale for a single family, yet also feels generous enough for three families enjoying a summer getaway under one roof. All of the spaces deliberately blur the line between indoors and outdoors, and further weave the home into its context. The kitchen and main living spaces open onto a generous waterfront screened porch that includes an outdoor fireplace. An attic bunkroom, tucked under the eaves, provides space for future grandchildren and the next generation of summer memories.

An attitude of resource conservation influenced the extensive use of local and salvaged building resources. The rugged character of the surrounding land is reflected in the use of highly durable and low-maintenance materials. The home is for three-season use, eliminating the need for robust winter heating and energy consumption. Ultimately this unique place by the lake will provide the family — and its generations to come — a retreat that will last a lifetime.

Project Completion Date: 2007

Photography:

Brian Vanden Brink

Collaborators:

• Landscape Architect: Richardson & Associates Landscape Architects
• Structural Engineer: Albert Putnam Associates
• General Contractor: Cold Mountain Builders
• Mason: Freshwater Stone