Atop the grassy mounds of Atlantic Double Dunes in East Hampton, with vast stretching waters of the Two Mile Hollow Beach in the background, an off-white fluid form sits in sheer alienation on its land. Situated there as the home of American collectors Julie Reyes Taubman and Robert Taubman, the building is the first completed single-family residential project by American firm, Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). A mullion-free glazing system, a fiberglass and foam roof, and generous open spaces orchestrated around the irregular contours of the landscape define the architecture of the house. Referred to as the Blue Dream, the name of the house coincides with the title of a recently published monograph authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger. Blue Dream and the Legacy of Modernism in the Hamptons: A House by Diller Scofidio + Renfro narrates the story of a house that seeks to reinvigorate the spirit of the avant-garde in the Hamptons. With photo documentation by Dutch photographer Iwan Baan that shows the house across four seasons, the book features insights by Goldberger delving into the complex processes that generated the idea of the house to a roster of architecturally ambitious modernist houses on Long Island.

The avant-garde is captured in the composition of the roof, drawn from aerospace modelling and fabrication methods. Fabricated by Seattle-based aerospace design firm Janicki Industries, the softly curving edges of the fibreglass and foam monocoque structure rise and fall in a surreal display, sheltering living spaces while making sure every corner of the house remain closely connected to the outdoors. The interiors evoke the impression of a cave sculpted in a modernist aesthetic. Some spaces remain tucked within the dunes while others are enveloped by the roof creating distinct lookouts into the landscape.

As per Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the 10,000 sqft project has achieved 1/10th of the weight of a traditional concrete and steel frame structure. The roof form features a sandwiched resin and foam structure that “cantilevers up to 30 feet over living spaces to provide shade and frame views to the beach beyond,” as per the New York-based firm. The drop-down of the roof is orchestrated at a few points to highlight features such as the fireplace and skylights.

Treading a gravel path that meanders its way through the artificial dunes conceived by Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, one arrives at the entrance, located on an intermediate level. The front door reveals itself as a gigantic metal form in white bronze designed in collaboration between DS+R and project contractor Ed Bulgin. The door surface on the front mimics the fingerprints of the homeowners Julie and Robert Taubmen, rendering a personal mark of the couple on their home.

Mimicking the form of the dunes, the free-flowing interior opens into a living area on the main level that spills onto the outdoor court; the two areas remain separated by a continuous glazed enclosure. The study is designed on the level above, the master suite on the cantilevered top floor, whereas the two children’s bedrooms take up the lower level. The curving walls, dune-like staircases, dripping floors, and serendipitously carved openings on the roof are finished with CNC-milled end-grain mesquite. The finish allows a striking homogeneity and smoothness to the house while bringing an undistracted environment of the architecture in conjunction with its context.

Inside the main level, a series of platforms and stairways define the living space. With interior design by Paris and New York-based designer Michael Lewis, the furniture and upholstery draws harmony with the overarching scheme. A series of vintage dining chairs by Eero Saarinen, customer marble tables by Joseph Walsh, and a long sectional sofa placed about the periphery of the flowy walls dot the living space. Seamlessly opening onto the outdoor court, stairs further lead people to the pool area and open living space, and a rooftop lounge.

While the house was completed in 2017, the monograph was released in 2023 as a homage to Julia Taubman who unfortunately stayed in the house for only two summers before she succumbed to cancer in January 2018. The house, being a cherished vision of hers, takes up space in East Hampton as one of the few properties that push the narrative of modernist architecture: its purpose seemingly rooted in its ‘ambition’ and an ‘out of place’ design.