logo.png

Profile

Bates Masi + Architects LLC, a full-service architectural firm with roots in New York City and the East End of Long Island for over 45 years, responds to each project with extensive research in related architectural fields, material, craft and environment for unique solutions as varied as the individuals or groups for whom they are designed. The focus is neither the size nor the type of project but the opportunity to enrich lives and enhance the environment. The attention to all elements of design has been a constant in the firm’s philosophy. Projects include urban and suburban residences, schools, offices, hotels, restaurants, retail and furniture in the United States, Central America and the Caribbean. The firm has received 43 design awards since 2003 and has been featured in national and international publications including The New York Times, New York Magazine, Architectural Digest, Architectural Record, Metropolitan Home, and Dwell. Residential Architect Magazine selected Bates Masi one of their 50 Architect’s We Love. A gallery exhibition in May 2010 featured the firm’s earlier work from 1960-70.

 

Paul Masi spent childhood summers in Montauk and currently resides in Amagansett. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Catholic University and a Masters of Architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He worked at Richard Meier & Partners before joining this firm in 1998.

Harry Bates, a resident of East Hampton, received a Bachelor of Architecture from North Carolina State University. After ten years with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, he was in private practice in New York City for 17 years before moving the firm to Southampton on the East End in 1980. Our offices are currently located in Sag Harbor with plans to relocate to a new LEED Certified office building of our own design in East Hampton.

map.png
arrow-left.png
arrow-right.png

HERC

Lot size: 28 acres

Building size: 6,500 sq. ft.

Location: East Hampton, NY

Program: Marine & Terrestrial Science School

The HERC curriculum is hands-on marine and terrestrial science studies for elementary and secondary school students. The building is designed to accommodate the growing Boys and Girls Harbor HERC program and to fulfill the requirements for year-round offices, library, wet laboratory, workshop, main meeting hall, and computer room.

The goal was to design a building that would be a teaching mechanism for the HERC curriculum. The architects viewed this project as an opportunity to create an engaging environment in which the students’ growth and potential will be stimulated socially, intellectually, and physically. The building will be an instrument to spark conversation, inspire creativity, and ultimately, enlighten the user.

One of the challenges of the project was to respond to the site; constructing a new building that can easily assimilate to the existing context. Together with the existing cafeteria, the HERC building encloses an outdoor wooded area, functioning as a central core for the entire camp. Upon entering the building, a front porch greets and informs the visitor. The changeable facade is composed of a “scaffolding” system that adapts to the varying needs of the camp. For example, the scaffolding can be used to exhibit student artwork and experiments, act as a trellis for growing

plants, or display signage advertising upcoming events at the camp.

The environmental design strategies employed in the building are similar to those used a hundred years before the invention of modern mechanical systems. The angle of the sun and the direction of the wind all play a vital role in the placement of the building on the site. The roof angles capture summer breezes while deflecting cold winter winds and also assists in collecting rainwater, by channeling it down into a series of basins. The basins will supply recycled rainwater for building mechanical needs and students can utilize them to perform plant and marine experiments.

Wherever possible, recycled materials are implemented throughout the project. The structural system is composed of recycled glue-laminated post and beams. The exterior stairwell and chimney are composed of recycled 2 x 6 wasted framing materials donated by local contractors. All stone used in the project is local stone taken from the site and cladding material consists of composite panel board and batten. Through it’s environmentally sensitive design the HERC building will be an active participant in the already lively environment of the Harbor.

email

Submit