Oceanfront

Originally designed by modernist architect Norman Jaffe in the 1970s, this award-winning home faced severe erosion over time. When LaGuardia Design Group began work, the house had been moved 400 feet inland to a low-lying cornfield. The challenge was to recreate a coastal dune landscape that would both ground the structure and withstand the forces of wind, water, and rising sea levels. To rebuild the site, LDG needed 30,000 cubic yards of fill that would be enough to reconstruct protective dunes and conceal new additions beneath the original design. Rather than import material, the team excavated a 60,000-square-foot pond that provided the necessary fill and introduced a natural water feature scaled to the site. Its curving “disappearing” shoreline, inspired by historic English landscapes, enhances the sense of depth and openness without dominating the view. The house is now anchored within a restored dune system planted with beach grass and a mix of meadow species like fescue, bluestem, and switchgrass. The pond’s edge supports native wetland vegetation and aquatic life, completing a self-sustaining coastal ecosystem that revives Jaffe’s vision while ensuring long-term resilience.