Tour a Rugged Concrete House on Martha's Vineyard Built to Outlast Erosion

The idea of living along the coast has an undeniable romance, but there is also the persistent, inescapable reality of erosion. It's happening—however slowly. Boston-based architects Peter Rose and Partners designed the East House in Chilmark, Massachusetts, on the popular vacation isle of Martha's Vineyard, with cast-in-place concrete panels that allow the unit to be lifted and relocated—in case the ground beneath it should begin to slip. The 4,000-square-foot house comprises several such concrete, box-like volumes—with 10-inch-thick walls—and features interiors finished with Douglas Fir and Alaskan Cedar. Wide operable windows help ventilate the entire house with a sea breeze.

∙ East House [Peter Rose and Partners]
∙ Peter Rose constructs Martha's Vineyard property as movable concrete blocks [Designboom]
∙ All Great Escapes posts [Curbed]