Local (South) Boston architecture firm Ruhl Walker Architects, was recently honored with a Residential Architect Design Award (RADA) by Residential Architect Online.  The merit award that Ruhl Walker Architects won is part of the 10th annual residential architect design awards, a competition that received more than 1,100 entries in 16 categories. Just 44 projects were recognized for honors, making RADA the most competitive residential architecture awards program in the country.

The winning design is for a 1,400 square foot modern home that was designed with the utmost respect for preservation of the surrounding land in Truro, MA on Cape Cod.

Residential Architect Online writes that Brad Walker, Principal at Ruhl Walker Architects, proposed renovating an 1820s house that sits on the inland edge of the lot as a primary residence, then building a retreat on the water. His design features a two-bedroom concrete base burrowed into the sand and topped by a glass pavilion. The long, narrow footprint barely disturbs the dunes’ regular shifting pattern, and existing dune trails link the old and new structures.

“We are still struggling with how best to leverage this project, partly because it is part of a conceptual effort, and due to circumstances beyond our control, will never be built,” says William Ruhl, Principal at Ruhl Walker Architects.  The firm is currently exploring opportunities with interested parties to build the home on similar land elsewhere in the world.

This is not the first time that designs of the Boston architects have been awarded.  Ruhl Walker Architects has designed multiple high-end lofts across the city, including lauded designs in Wilkes Passage and Channel Center. Their expertise spans across free-standing homes, condos and lofts, as well as commercial spaces.