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This Lopez Island home was designed for a client who wanted a house on the beach, yet a steep, rocky bluff separates the land from the beach below. The solution was to locate the house in the field, at the edge of an artificial pond, which is fed by seasonal run-off.
The massing and layout of the house was inspired by Shingle Style architecture, chiefly in the use of solids (rooms) and voids (porches and sleeping porches), and in the long visual and physical axes connecting the user with the surrounding field and woods. The house resembles a cross in plan, with each end of the cross becoming almost entirely glass, creating translucent fingers which reach out into the landscape. As the sun tracks through the sky, the character of the interior changes hourly. The structure is a hybrid of timber frame construction, employing timbers and moldings recycled from an old cannery structure, and typical stick frame construction. The project consists of three separate structures. The first building houses art studios, llama pens, a hayloft, a workshop, automobiles, and a tractor. The main house consists of two guest wings and the primary living spaces on the main floor, set almost on level with the surrounding field. The upper floor is reserved for the master suite and large sleeping porch. The final building, creating the third edge to the courtyard formed by the two major structures, houses all of the mechanical components that serve the property. The house often serves as an informal local gathering point, hosting weddings and other large gatherings. |
