Projects build on classic N.E. style

On the hot seat

July 10, 2011

(Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff )

Peter Polhemus and his partners at Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects/Builders are known for building structures in some of the most picturesque spots in New England. They have worked around the salt marshes of Cape Cod, near the public spaces of town greens, and along hillsides and lakes that present unique challenges, as well as possibilities. Polhemus spoke with Globe reporter Casey Ross about the firm’s work, which recently earned it the title of Custom Home Builder of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders.

What intrigues you about working in New England?
There is something about New England architecture we find very alluring. It’s architecture that is not frilly. It’s architecture where there’s a certain simplicity and a set of organizational principles that are grounded in the region. We have strong regional architecture here, and there are certain parts of the country that really don’t have that. Where I grew up in Pennsylvania, you’ll see subdivisions that will have a Spanish Colonial next to a Colonial next to Mediterranean. You don’t see much of that on the Cape and Islands or in other parts of New England.

How do you preserve that history while also building something unique for your clients?
Our architecture is very much contextual and draws on the past for references, but it’s not revival; it’s not looking to the past to mimic the past. Rather, it utilizes appropriate references that are reinterpreted today. When they see our project, people feel it’s a little different, but there are aspects that they can relate to that make them comfortable.

How do you work with people on price?
Let’s say it’s going to be a 3,200-square-foot house. We go through programming and put it into a graphic that gives us sizes of all the spaces - family room, kitchen, etc., and we add 20 percent for circulation. Then we’ll come back and say, I know you want a 3,200-square-foot house, but your program is for 4,000 square feet. What would you like to do? Instead of going ahead and designing it and having it end up being way over, we’ll sit down with the client and ask, “Do you want to up it? Or do you want to cut back?’’