Project overview

This oasis supports restorative, single-story living with ultra low-VOC materials that are serviceable and deconstructible. We designed a simple form to contain the complexity of the interior spaces with the efficiency of repeated details.

Design criteria

Concept

An exposed timber structure allowed us to wrap the building in a robust, high-performance envelope that facilitates the need for verifiable assemblies—no hidden cavities. Centering the living space on an expansive window wall directs views out to the local ecological reserve and beyond to the Gulf Islands and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. We introduced a sawtooth roof to provide clerestories along the length of the home. The resulting daylight and passive solar gains are aspects critical for the resident's wellbeing and to the efficiency of the home. The residents requested a 500-square-foot guest cottage and several wellness spaces, including a salt therapy room and a steam room.

Site

Since the owners are often homebound, we created strong visual and physical connections to the outdoors. The remote mountain site is nestled within moss gardens and rock outcroppings. We sourced native plants to restore the site and integrate the interior and exterior spaces. Constructing a natural swim pond provides an opportunity for humans and local fauna alike to take a dip. It filters water without the use of chemicals with a regeneration zone of aquatic plants.

Materials

We selected non-toxic materials in all aspects of the design because the clients require a chemically neutral space. Specifications aligned the shared priorities of healthy spaces and a healthy environment. Careful research yielded material specifications that are low-VOC, NAUF, CARB and LBC 4.0 Red List compliant. The structure and douglas fir casework were finished with a VOC-absorbing paint. Exposed concrete floors act as a carbon sink and a thermal mass, additionally providing radiant hydronic heat. The aluminum cladding on a PERSIST envelope (Pressure Equalized Rain Screen Insulated Structural Technique) offers unmatched performance in thermal, air, moisture, fire, and pest resistance, along with being extremely resilient to marine environments.

Build

The contractor utilized a prefabricated timber package to accelerate structural framing. All team members—contractor, client, and architect—participated in frequent communication and strong partnerships throughout the build. This allowed the emigrating Clients to rely on the team to deliver a product that exceeded their expectations. Critical to this remote island build was the oversight and advocacy of a full-time on-site project manager with high performance building knowledge.

Credits