Home of the Week: This $28.5 Million Estate on Martha’s Vineyard is a Biophilic Masterpiece
Steeped in culture and history, Martha’s Vineyard is known for its iconic lighthouses, centuries-old cottages, and coastal chic design style. It is also known as being rife with multimillion-dollar mansions and beachfront compounds owned by former presidents and A-list celebrities, along with an assortment of billionaires.
The scenic coastal island, just a short, seven-mile jaunt off the coast of Massachusetts, is known for its shingled New England-style homes, Carpenter Gothic bungalows, and other traditional architectural styles. That’s why the recently built home known as Minawetu, recently listed for $28.5 million, is unlike anything else on Martha’s Vineyard. Indeed, the ultra-modern, biophilic home wouldn’t look out of place in Malibu or even Hawaii, thanks to its full embrace of its natural surroundings.
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The bluff-top estate, located on the island’s North Shore, encompasses 3.3 acres and was built with biophilic design principles in mind. Conceived by Harvard University biologist, theorist, and naturalist Edward O. Wilson, biophilic design, or biophillia, “implies that humans hold a biological need for connection with nature on physical, mental, and social levels, and this connection affects our personal well-being, productivity, and societal relationships.”
Designed and built by Tate Builders to interact seamlessly with the home’s pristine surroundings, Minawetu is perched on a stable bluff with access to nearly 250 feet of sandy beach with magnificent views over the Vineyard Sound and Elizabeth Islands. The parcel features rolling grassy meadows, towering specimen trees, expansive reflection ponds, and a couple of waterfalls. There are botanical gardens both on the rooftop and around the home. Among the eco-friendly technologies is an array of solar panels.
Tate Builders implemented the 14 patterns of biophilic design throughout the home. These patterns are directly related to improved mind and body functions such as lowered blood pressure and heart rate, reduced systolic blood pressure, positively impacted cognitive performance, positively impacted attitude, and perceived improvements in mental health and tranquility, among others.
The home is designed with the finest craftsmanship and materials, including Red Grandis hardwood from plantation-grown eucalyptus trees, split-face Chelmsford granite, and organic white scratched coral from the dry-land quarry of the Dominican Republic. The home is lined with wood-trimmed floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that result in brightly lit spaces.
There are massive granite stepping stones that lead to the entrance of the home, where you will find reflection ponds and waterfalls. Near the front door, an exterior glass and wood staircase that is cantilevered over a shallow, rock-lined reflection pond leads to a rooftop deck and swimming pool. Inside, there are 10-foot-high ceilings and a spacious open-concept floor plan.
In total, there are seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and two powder rooms. The main residence has five bedrooms, while a detached guest house has two more. In the main house, a sprawling lower level is bursting with additional luxuries: a wine cellar, a media room, an entertaining lounge, and a state-of-the-art gym with sauna.
The estate takes maximum advantage of its elevated perch, which provides spectacular ocean and sunset views, but also has direct access to the beach via a stone staircase.
“The builder and creator of the property have done two other projects using biophilic design principles, and this project is innovative, sustainable, and ecologically designed,” says listing agent Gerret Conover with Land Vest. “The location of the property is perched above Lamberts Cove Beach, which is one of the premier beaches on Martha’s Vineyard and is close to the incredible former Katherine Graham Estate and a number of other substantial North Shore estates.”
The property is jointly listed with Conover and Thomas Leclair, also of LandVest.
Click here for more photos of Minawetu.
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