Harborview SHOPS
Nantucket Town, Nantucket, MA
Facing the harbor in the historic village of Nantucket as a row of wharf sheds, this mixed-use retail and residential building is based on the historical building pattern. This typological strategy effectively knits a large structure into a smaller scale, vernacular context.
Situated at an intersection of two streets, the building pulls back to allow for a covered porch affording better visibility for cars turning the corner and pedestrians cover from the rain. Street level retail spaces are arranged in a row, with residential apartments above and parking behind.
These were some of the issues taken into consideration to pass a rigorous approval process with the Nantucket Historic District Commission and the Zoning Board. Because the building is sited within a waterfront flood zone that floods periodically, footings are made extra wide to resist hydrostatic uplifting pressure. Hurricane straps tie the framing into the foundation, ground level electrical service feeds-down from above; and replaceable rigid insulation panels below the waist-height interior wainscoting make a virtue out of a necessity.