"A Dream Home..."
There are occasional opportunities that come your way where you can be part of something
exceptional. This project for us - was exactly that. We were approached by the owner's to
design them a "dream home... it must incorporate the exposed rock of the site and have a
large atrium where full size trees can grow, where they can sit and enjoy the peace and
quiet of nature around them whilst blending into the surrounding landscape as if they had always been
there..."
Working through various stages of scribbles and doodles it's amazing what can come out the
other end! This we feel is all part of the exercise - get the planning right then let your
mind flow. Finally the design resolved into a form that worked with the site and reflected
the owner's wishes. As with all large projects such as this - a 1/87 scale model was built
complete with site terrain so that we could properly demonstrate our design to the client
in miniature form.
A detail 1/87 scale model was constructed to show the client a miniature version of what the
final house in it setting would look like...
Compared to the final completed house - images below.
Entry level with garages on right.
Solid wood Douglas Fir door with custom hardware. Note stone floor - also cut out from original
site (blast) area. Rough sawn cedar soffits
Shown above is some detail images of gargoyle (above left) and some of the natural materials used -
the stone coming from the exposed out-crop of rock that extended east-west through the
house location. The owners wanted to retain as much of this as possible - and naturally this
forms the focal point of the design of the house. The area of rock retained was located in the atrium - which
forms part of the entrance and a strong link up to the higher level where the main activities
would take place.
Using the natural stone found (and blasted from) the site - floors and walls evolved in
a natural synthesis of "earthy" materials. Huge Douglas Fir beams were used to create the
stair platforms up to the main level
(see images page 2
as well as the 3-1/2" thick solid wooden entrance door.
A sheer visual delight when seen together.
Use of Grid
To retain a sense of order within a large design such as this - the plan was laid out on
a two-foot grid pattern. Contrary to some thoughts on this being restrictive - we find
this frees up the design as it sets some ground rules that the designer knows will attain
precise detailing options later on. All the outside face of the building sits exactly on
a grid line. Inside and outside corners can be made to work effectively and create the
wonderful shadow and light patterns offered at various times of the day.
