Harborside Shops
Nantucket Town, Nantucket, MA
Facing the harbor in the historic village of Nantucket, this mixed-use retail and residential building is articulated as a row of wharf sheds, based on the historical building pattern. This typological strategy effectively knits a large structure into a smaller scale, vernacular context. The design passed a rigorous approval process with the Nantucket Historic District Commission and the Zoning Board. Street level retail spaces are arranged in a row, with residential apartments above and parking behind. At the corner, the building is pulled back to allow for a covered porch that affords better visibility for cars turning the corner as well as pedestrian cover from the rain. Because the building is sited within a waterfront flood zone that floods periodically, footings are made extra wide to resist hydrostatic uplift. Hurricane straps tied into the framing, electrical service feeds-down from above; and rigid insulation with interior wainscoting make a virtue out of a necessity.