Cooking Light looks to Hamptons for next FitHouse

The Houses at Sagaponac modern home development will be in the spotlight again next year when Cooking Light magazine showcases a yet to be constructed prefabricated modular home there as the publication’s annual 2009 FitHouse.

The residence, which is scheduled to be featured in the October 2009 issue of the magazine, will be Cooking Light’s first venture into prefabricated design for its FitHouse project. According to Cooking Light executives, the FitHouse is intended to reflect current consumer interest in green architecture.

The FitHouse project began in 2002 with the idea of bringing the Cooking Light lifestyle of healthy living into every aspect of the home, including environmental friendliness, comfort, exercise and improved air and water quality. Each FitHouse utilizes earth-friendly design, construction, building products and landscape techniques for a tranquil retreat-like atmosphere.

Traditionally, the magazine sponsors events at the FitHouse and opens the dwelling for tours in order to educate the public about healthy living and design trends. It’s also featured in a spread in the magazine. Previous FitHouse locations include Hoover, Alabama, Wilsonville, Oregon, Big Canoe, Georgia and Castle Rock, Colorado.

“The next-gen home is here: sophisticated, green, architecturally savvy and located in one of the toniest spots on the East Coast,” Cooking Light Executive Editor Billy Sims wrote in a press release announcing the selection last week. “Consumers are sure to be wowed by the 2009 Cooking Light FitHouse and will take away fresh ideas and innovations that translate directly to their own homes and lifestyles.”

The Houses at Sagaponac, located on nearly 100 acres off Wainscott Harbor Road north of the Montauk Highway in Sagaponack, is an acclaimed development of modern residential architecture that was initiated by the late developer Harry J. Brown. The creative design of the 70-acre site is being overseen by award-winning architect Richard Meier. Philip Johnson, Richard Rogers and other notable architects have contributed to the initiative.

The FitHouse 2009, which will be the eighth annual Cooking Light FitHouse project, will be created by Manhattan-based architectural firm Resolution 4 Architecture and is expected to be completed by the end of next summer, according to Resolution 4 Architecture principal Joseph Tanney, who will oversee the design and construction phases. Designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, the 3,000-square-foot modern pre-fab home is expected to contain four bedrooms, a guest area, three cooking spaces and outdoor features, including a lap pool and bocce court.

During a telephone interview on Thursday, Mr. Tanney said the home will also incorporate sustainable elements such as geothermal heating and cooling technologies, solar panels and rainwater recycling. The pre-fabrication will be made up of 10 modules, built in a Pennsylvania factory, and then transported to the East End for assembly.

Mr. Tanney’s 10-person firm has worked on many modern modulars, including seven already constructed homes on the East End. He added that green technology concepts, and the lower cost of prefabrication, have increased interest in modular homes on the East Coast over the last five years.

“There’s been a lot of interest on the East End and for me personally, I’m excited about being part of the community of modern homes at Houses at Sagaponac,” Mr. Tanney said.

Mr. Tanney predicted that consumer demand, and the economy, will continue to drive interest in prefabricated design. “As more and more homeowners are attracted to the concept, more and more modern architects are attempting to do this,” he said. “This idea has really gained traction.”

The economy, however, may also take a toll on the FitHouse. At press time, Cooking Light representatives said financial concerns have cooled some of the projects’ other backers on the idea.