Above par

By definition, a links-style golf course is designed so it has minimal impact on the landscape. The course is laid out so that natural bumps and slopes in the fairways and greens remain.

When Newport Collaborative Architects designed the clubhouse for Carnegie Abbey's links-style golf course, they wanted the building to have a similar respect for the environment.

The clubhouse known as the Golf House is clad with indigenous materials. Local cedar is used, and fieldstone cladding and pillars were laid on site by the Narragansett Indian tribe. Roof pitches are low, helping the large structure blend into the landscape.

Project architect Spencer McCombe, AIA, says they chose an Adirondack style because it was the most appropriate for the wooded site on Narragansett Bay, RI.

"We wanted it to have a camp-like feel, and the Adirondack style an offshoot off the Arts and Crafts movement worked well," he says.

In Adirondack buildings, the exposed structure acts as ornamentation. Rafter tails can be seen outside, heavy timber trusses are exposed, and roof overhangs are large.

The design of the building was also influenced by the local area's planning and zoning regulations. The clubhouse was required to be a certain distance from the adjacent beach, wetlands and railroad, and also had a height restriction. These circumstances led to the long, horizontal shape of the building.

The clubhouse is a mixed-use facility, containing 22 individually designed condominiums for members. Principal-in-charge John Grosvenor, AIA, says the residential element of the project meant it was important that the 80,000sq ft building feel as intimate as a private home.

The Golf House also includes indoor andoutdoor dining areas, a commercial kitchen, great hall, octagonal bar, men's and women's dressing rooms, mosaic swimming pool, European-style spa and exercise facilities.

The other members of the design team were project designer Pamela Redfern, AIA, designer Jay Grover and 3D specialist Jack Evans.

For more information, contact Newport Collaborative Architects, The Exchange Building, 38 Washington Square, Newport, RI, phone (401) 846 9583, fax (401) 846 9808. Or visit the website: www.ncarchitects.com.

Story by: Trendsideas