Located in a thriving resort town, Elizabeth II is a home designed by Bates Masi Architects with special attention paid to architectural acoustics, which led the form, materials, and details. The goal was to not only limit the sound heard from the village, but to create a unique acoustic character that would forge memories for both the family and their guests.

Custom designed, stainless steel clips were used to attach the cedar board siding on the walls helping to extend its life. If they had used screws or nails with regular wood siding, which expands and contracts with the weather, it would eventually split or they’d come out over time. The spring-like clips allow the boards to move naturally as they do, without compromising the material.
A series of parallel walls create layers of privacy that reduce the sounds coming from the village. Each of the walls extend past the living areas and ascend in height from the entry to the center of the house. The walls act as barriers when the sounds waves hit allowing the outdoor spaces to remain quiet.
Besides lowering the sound transmissions, they provide thermal insulation as they’re made with insulated concrete forms. The forms are then wrapped in insulating foam for extra protection. The walls are so well made that they act as structural beams and are placed over the gathering space at the home’s center and over the covered deck.

The stair treads are tapered in thickness to create an acoustic experience as o...