HELIOTROPE

This is a summer home for a retired couple designed to accommodate many guests, while keeping the overall scale of the home comfortable for just the two of them. The site is an extremely small, wedge shaped waterfront parcel in a floodplain which adjoins a public beach access road, creating privacy concerns. These issues were resolved by dividing the program into two separate structures connected by an entry. Creating two independent structures allowed us to freely rotate each structure in a way that resolves the site geometry while maximizing views and sunlight. The building’s massing clearly expresses the basic separation of program into public and private spaces. The Northern structure houses bedrooms and bathrooms; while the Southern structure encloses the living, dining and kitchen functions.

Location:

Whidbey Island, WA

Contractor:

Kamera and Gilles

Building Area:

2,300 sf

Completion:

1999

Photographer:

Julie Marquart