Harrington Sound house

Custom Design for Eco-conscious Family

Sitting high above Harrington Sound is a unique European-style family home designed for seamless indoor-outdoor living, with a natural aesthetic, that is energy efficient and easy to maintain, even when hurricanes are on the horizon.

The interior design was the work of Eimeir Johnston, Senior Interior Designer at Cooper Gardner, in close collaboration with the owners. The architects were John Gardner and Jonathan Castro of Cooper Gardner, the project manager was Will Irvine of

Lighthouse Construction and Project Management, and the home was built by Vieira’s Construction & Painting.

“The client’s husband travels a lot and with two small children she doesn’t want to be lugging furniture in and out of the house,” explains Johnston, in reference to the pre-hurricane ritual Bermuda’s residents are so familiar with.

To solve that problem, she came up with the idea of a permanent concrete bench in the more exposed outdoor seating area, softened by easy to move cushions. Behind this is a built-in planter, providing greenery without the need for heavy pots.

To this end, they have also dispensed with traditional shutters, using hurricane grade windows instead, which, when open create plenty of natural air flow inside the house.

The original building, which hadn’t taken advantage of the views, was all but knocked down and rebuilt save for the two-storey, one bedroom cottage, which now serves as the pool house and was renovated to match the main house.

The new swimming pool, which also

MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR BOTTLE CAP!

Make sure you check out the easy to use PURE WATER & PURE ICE

VENDINGMACHINE and our convenient Drive Thru for bottled water purchases.

HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY - FRIDAY: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

(OFFICE, RETAIL SHOP & DRIVE THRU) SATURDAY: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

(DRIVE THRU ONLY)

32 Parsons Lane, Devonshire

Tel: 299-PURE E-mail: purewater@bwl.bm Web: www.bwl.bm

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

COMPREHENSIVE LANDSCAPE STRATEGIES FOR: BERMUDA’S PUBLIC REALM COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL LANDSCAPE PROGRAMMING RESORT AND RECREATION SPACES HOMES AND GARDENS

S O F T S C A P E

GRADING | PLANTING | DRAINAGE H A R D S C A P E

PAVING | LIGHTING | WAY FINDING CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT

D A V I D C O X

CMLI ASLA L A N D S C A P E A R C H I T E C T

overlooks the Sound, has, like so much of the property, been designed to look as natural as possible and blend into the surroundings. A dark tile was used to make the pool and sea water match and, instead of an infinity edge, the tile has been taken all the way up and wrapped around a square edge, giving an infinity feel without the infinity cost. This is also more energy efficient and doesn’t use as much water as a traditional infinity pool.

Just for fun, the hidden piece of land to the far side and below the pool has been turned into a putting green.

All around the property, the owners have kept as much of the original planting as possible and have made the most of all available outdoor spaces. A courtyard at the front of the house provides an alternative al fresco entertaining or relaxing area, particularly on a windy day, and at the back of the house is a smaller terrace, which protects the inside from the sun and provides another spot for enjoying the phenomenal view.

From the minute you enter the house, it is apparent how important the view and natural light is to the owners. Many of the windows are tall, wide or both. The doors are glass fronted. There are skylights in the powder room and front porch. And deliberate sightlines to the outside have been created upstairs and down.

The entry corridor, which hides storage, a stylish powder room and laundry room, leads you through to the very spacious, double storey, open barn-style living area with open plan kitchen on one end and doors into a den and separate en-suite office at the other.

A monochrome palate and what Johnston describes as “very honest materials” have been used throughout

ARCHITECTURE • INTERIOR DESIGN • PLANNING

WWW.CGARCH.BM • 292.2521

We’re here to help you set up.

2Tech is Bermuda’s most personal home and business systems provider. From rental-friendly wireless alarms and remote monitoring to integrated audio visual systems and large scale commercial security, our expert engineers will create a tailored solution that’s right for you.

TAILORED SYSTEMS. TOTAL SATISFACTION.

• Fire Alarms • Security Systems • Wireless Alarm Systems • CCTV Video Surveillance • Electronic Gate Security • Home Theatre Systems • Intercom Systems • Maintenance & Service • Remote Monitoring • Sound Systems • Cabling Solutions

Call today: 441 293 1280

including concrete floors, black frames, white walls, light and dark tiling, oak, and brass. Particularly striking are the large wooden ceiling beams, which were reclaimed from an old barn in West Virginia.

“That was to add character to a newbuild property,” she continues. “A lot of the time it can be quite hard to give layers to something that’s new. They’ve had a previous life.”

The house is full of interesting character in so many other ways. Floating stairs lead up to the three bedrooms and the two children’s rooms are connected to the main bedroom via a bridge. These have a wood finish to them, “to soften acoustically under foot as you move upstairs to the more private areas of the house,” says Johnston.

In contrast to the double-story living area, the den has dark walls, designed to ‘hide’ the TV. The addition of a wood burning fireplace makes it an ideal room for winter ‘hibernating’.

Even the light fixtures are naturallooking materials whether it’s the dramatic ‘lobster pot’ style pendant lights above the dining room table, the brass and wood hanging lights in the kitchen or subtle white sconces on the walls.

In the spirit of energy efficiency, the owners installed a number of solar panels on the flatter parts of the roof, and they have the ability to install a battery storage system in the future, with space deliberately left in the garage for that purpose.

Hidden away in the basement, along with copious under-stair storage and a gym, is an equipment room which houses two heat pump water heaters, tankless water pump systems and a circulation system for hot water on demand. Again, saving water and saving electricity.

KEY CONTRACTORS

• 2Tech Ltd. • Cooper Gardner • DCLA Ltd. • Efficiency Limited • Lighthouse Construction/

Project Management • King’s Plumbing & Mechanical

Ltd. • TreeCon Limited • Vieira Construction & Painting

New Building for Career Development

Multi-million dollar Athene Career Development Centre opens on Bermuda College Campus

As a former student, Vanessa Bean felt a personal connection as the project lead for the recent design and build of the Bermuda College’s Athene Career Development Centre (CDC). Further enhancing this connection was the collaborative work done with the Bermuda College staff and the contractor, Overnight Construction, whose founder, Sanz “Kitty” Pearman, is also a former Bermuda College student.

“One of the themes was that most people connected to the project had some investment in the College or in the development of young people in general,” says Ms. Bean, Senior Interior Designer at OBMI Bermuda and Project Lead for the Athene CDC. We worked closely with the Bermuda College Foundation team, Garry Madeiros, Michael Hollis and Project Manager David Braddock, during the permit and construction phases. The Bermuda College team lead by Cleun Gaiton provided valuable feedback and expertise that enhanced the project. I believe a project is more meaningful when the people that will be using the space are involved in the process.”

Ms. Bean says her former Art Professor, Dr. Edwin Smith inspired her to attend Savannah College of Art and Design, and for this project they worked together on bringing art into the new spaces. Meanwhile, she and College’s Graphic Designer, Cherie Richardson, collaborated on the brightly coloured

mural that highlights the foyer as you enter the Centre.

The colours of that mural come from the new palette of the College’s rebrand, which Ms. Bean says, “inspired us as we sought to set a new design standard that can be used throughout the campus in any future upgrades.

“In approaching any project, you want to design a space that can be timeless, and also represents the culture of the facility. The College had not done any major work for more than 25 years. So I view this project as a start to all the design and updating going forward. It has a simplicity that will be easy to replicate throughout the campus.”

For the exterior design, OBMI chose to follow the existing architectural style, rather than create a unique look for the addition. This was found to be the most cost effective and sustainable solution. The architectural work was led by the late Glyn Quarterly and Ms. Bean attributes its success to the “extensive attention to detail” by Mr. Quarterly.

“It was his last project, and even when unwell, he came into the office to ensure the project was finished. We view this as a celebration and tribute to his work,” she says.

The new Centre sits near the middle of the campus and was built atop an existing one storey structure. This central location is fitting for what has become a key division of the College – Professional and Career Education (PACE).

Despite the bold colour palette that greets visitors as they enter the Centre, the design team utilised more neutral and gentle materials and tones in the classrooms and offices. A soft grey vinyl covers the floors while the walls are painted a light blue/grey, which Ms. Bean says creates a calm atmosphere that promotes focus for studying, versus an overly-stimulating space.

These choices were also part of a longer-term focus on sustainability.

“The vinyl floors are durable, so will last, even with moving the modular furniture around on them,” she explains. “They also clean easily with soap and water so they don’t require the use of chemicals. Also, in comparison to tile, vinyl flooring is more acoustically absorbent and physically far easier on the lecturers who spend so much time standing and walking on it.”

The windows were extended down to the floors to allow more light in, while the colour of the walls reflects the incoming daylight, reducing the need for lighting during the day.

“We try to design in ways that are financially sensible as well as functional,” Ms. Bean says.

When building on an active campus it is important to operate with the highest level of safety and caution. The contractor, Overnight Construction Ltd., were creative and very effective in getting materials on and off the site in a safe and efficient manner without causing too much disruption.

Design Innovation Since 1936

bermuda@obmi.com +1 441.278.3550 BERMUDA.OBMI.COM

The pandemic, whilst disruptive with the “usual delays”, was something of a benefit to the project.

“The campus was not operating at full capacity for most of the project’s duration which certainly helped with the timeline,”

says Ms. Bean of the 11-month build phase.

The new Athene Career Development Centre is more than 7,500 square feet in total and includes the 1st floor lobby/ foyer, PACE with lobby, three offices, a meeting room, a support room, a model classroom, innovation lab and computer lab. There is also a new, accessible washroom.

Ultimately for Ms. Bean the satisfaction for this project is that it fits with her overall design philosophy.

“I like to help people,” she says. “So, a project like this that can potentially help so many people is very rewarding. I am proud of the simplicity of the design that can be replicated around the campus. The spaces are flexible and everything in the classrooms can be changed to meet the needs of the College going forward.” KEY CONTRACTORS

• A.F. Smith • Bendell Design • ECM Services Ltd. • Efficiency Limited • H&H Plumbing and

Mechanical • OBMI • Overnight Construction Ltd. • Pembroke Tile & Stone • Precise Systems Integration (PSI) ThankyoutotheBermudaCollegeFoundationfortheopportunityto managethebuildingofTheAthene CareerDevelopmentCentre.