Located on a wooded bluff above Puget Sound, the Lopez Island Cabin re-imagines a traditional retreat in contemporary materials and form. As with most true cabins, there are few rooms: a living area/kitchen, two modest bedrooms and two small bathrooms. The project utilizes simple materials and an efficient plan to create a striking, sculptural form.
At the western edge of the house, a 14-foot-tall glass wall terminates the main living space and celebrates the site’s uninterrupted views of the Sound and mountains. A single shed roof cantilevers over this space, evoking a sense of protection and blurring the distinction between interior and exterior.
The material selections and construction methods emphasize economy, low maintenance, and energy conservation. Slab-on-grade construction is used for the interior flooring and adjacent terraces, simplifying construction and minimizing the use of raw materials. Corrugated metal siding and locally-sourced ground face concrete block (used in the interior spaces as well as the exterior) are durable, economical and true to the cabin aesthetic. Site disturbance is strictly localized, allowing for only minor construction grading that follows the natural contours of the site and preserves natural vegetation.
The concrete block walls and floor also serve as a thermal mass, regulating the interior temperature by storing daytime heat and releasing it at night. Above the block walls, three sides of clerestory windows combine with floor to ceiling glazing to flood the interior spaces with daylight and reduce energy costs associated with artificial lighting. Birch veneer plywood ceiling panels accentuate the lightness of the roof plane as it soars above the living space.
