Hamptons Habitats

Staff -- Interior Design, 4/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Just when you thought that Long Island's Hamptons beach communities had lost most of their charm to the encroachment of decidedly un-charming McMansion-style homes, Manhattan-based real estate investor CoCo Brown has come to the rescue. His plan for a new residential development, The Houses at Sagaponac, promises to be a much-needed antidote to the overscaled homes that have sprung up over the past decade. The project brings together 32 renowned architects, who will design "informal and unpretentious" houses that are "ecologically and economically responsible," says Brown. The list of participating architects includes established figures such as Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, and Steven Holl as well as younger practitioners such as Hariri & Hariri, Lindy Roy, and Reiser + Umemoto. Pritzker Prize winner Richard Meier is the project's creative director, and will also design one of the houses.