America’s Top Architects: New York’s 1100 Architect Goes Bold Near Boston
Key takeaways
- That was the challenge that David Piscuskas and his team from 1100 Architect faced when they were asked to design a contemporary home for a family of four in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
- “The landscape of Wellesley is dotted with white clapboard-clad houses derived from traditional New England forms,” says the New York City–based architect.
- Resembling a pair of interlocking white cubes, the structure strikes a provocative pose on its leafy suburban lot.
ESSENTIALSFirm Name: 1100 Architect Principals: David Piscuskas, Juergen Riehm Headquarters: New York, NYAccolades: Forbes Architecture’s “America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects,” 2025House Name: House in Wellesley Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts Area & Layout: 13,961 square feet on .71 acres; 5 BR, 8 BAArchitectural Photographer: Peter Aaron (peteraaron.net)It’s a problem that has perplexed architects for the last century: How do you make a modern house fit in a traditional neighborhood? That was the challenge that David Piscuskas and his team from 1100 Architect faced when they were asked to design a contemporary home for a family of four in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
“The landscape of Wellesley is dotted with white clapboard-clad houses derived from traditional New England forms,” says the New York City–based architect. “With this house, we took those material principles—making a taut, white, clapboard volume—but expressed them in decidedly contemporary ways.”
Resembling a pair of interlocking white cubes, the structure strikes a provocative pose on its leafy suburban lot. Piscuskas kept the footprint compact to mirror surrounding houses, but rejected conventional clapboard siding in favor of flush-mounted fir boards held in place with clips.