Saltbox Residence by Parnadian Architects receiveing the Jury Award in the 2021 Architizer A+Awards

The 2021 Architizer A + Award Jury Award-winning, 2,400-square-foot saltbox residence by Parnagian Architects is located in a flood-prone salt marsh in the lowlands of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. The client’s brief was to design a lasting replacement for a multi-generational family home that had been damaged beyond repair during Hurricane Sandy. The site is situated at the end of a small peninsula, bound directly to the west by a commercial shipyard and marina, and to the north, south, and east by expansive views of the Barnegat Bay.

adf-web-magazine-salt-box-residence-parnagian-architects-1.jpg

A modern waterfront house sited directly on the edge of the Barnegat Bay.
Photo credit: Parnagian Architects LLC

Constrained by local ordinance to the existing footprint of the previous home, Salt Box takes on a narrow, rectilinear form. Slight internal shifts in plan and volume create spaces for both retreat and gathering. A patterned rain screen, composed of alternating width Atlantic White Cedar boards, cloaks the exterior. The cedar weathers to a natural grey, a subtle design move to give it the appearance of having always been there.

adf-web-magazine-salt-box-residence-parnagian-architects-7.jpg

A modern waterfront house sited directly on the edge of the Barnegat Bay.

An open living, dining, and kitchen area is considered as an "outdoor room", with a double-height volume and floor-to-ceiling glass inviting inhabitants into the landscape. A small study perched above from the second floor looks out into the space below and views beyond. Variations in the porosity of the rain screen create a lively play of interior light and shadow throughout the day, while mitigating solar heat gain across the entire building envelope. The "outdoor room" serves as a shady refuge within the vast salt marsh landscape. A free-standing wood burning fireplace sits prominently within the space.

adf-web-magazine-salt-box-residence-parnagian-architects-3.jpg

A modern waterfront house sited directly on the edge of the Barnegat Bay.

adf-web-magazine-salt-box-residence-parnagian-architects-4.jpg

A modern waterfront house sited directly on the edge of the Barnegat Bay.

The exterior cedar soffit permeates through to the interior, forming a continuous ceiling lining. White Oak flooring and joinery, and white painted cement board and plasterboard, compose the majority of the interior material palette. An array of photo-voltaic panels at the roof level provides electricity for the home, taking advantage of the gently sloping planar roof surface and abundant southwesterly sun exposure.

adf-web-magazine-salt-box-residence-parnagian-architects-6.jpg

A modern waterfront house sited directly on the edge of the Barnegat Bay.

The building sits very nicely in its environment. Its use of a screen wall as an organizing element is very successful. It is well proportioned. Materials are modestly deployed. The jurors would like to have this beach house.

- 2018 AIA-NJ Chapter Design Competition Jury

About Parnagian Architects

Led by Redbank, New Jersey-based architect, Brian Parnagian, Parnagian Architects LLC is an award-winning full-service contemporary architecture firm based in Red Bank, New Jersey. Recognized for unique, high-quality design, they provide architectural, planning, and interior design services across a range of project types.