Modern Blueberry Farm

Modern Blueberry Farm is a residence located in Lexington, Massachusetts, designed for a family of five adjacent to the area's last working blueberry farm. Completed in 2020, the project involved collaboration between Flavin Architects and Ben Wood Studio Shanghai, drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese courtyard houses and their spatial organization. The site’s proximity to the blueberry fields shaped the house’s orientation and openness, particularly on the south side, which is left unobstructed to maximize views and admit low-angle winter sunlight. The approach to the home is marked by a teak gate leading into a courtyard flanked by western red cedar lattice screens, referencing courtyard entry sequences from Chinese precedent. The design also acknowledges the nearby Moon Hill Residences by The Architects Collaborative, integrating influences from modernist regional work. Materials comprise a subdued palette—painted shiplap, cedar boards, and stucco—anchored by clear finished cedar accenting soffits and panels. Interior spaces are conceived as a light-filled volume, employing floor-to-ceiling glass to extend sightlines to the landscape, while the kitchen acts as a connective hub between the home's two main wings. White walls and dark floors reinforce contrast and heighten the effect of changing daylight across living spaces.