Practicing ArchitectureAwards

2010 AIA Housing Award Recipient

Category 1: One and Two-Family Custom Residences

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Notes of Interest

This guest cottage and office are set along the steep bank of Dry Creek. The two structures are stretched along the verdant edge of the creek between the public world of the entry drive and the private world of the forested creek. Material, structure and craftsmanship played a vital role in the realization of these two modest buildings.

Solid wood-clad volumes face the drive and contain the program’s service elements. Delicate ribbon windows are strategically placed in the façades providing views, introducing light, and maintaining privacy. In contrast, full height glazed walls along the creek allow the intimate building plan to open completely. The exposed Douglas Fir rafters project from the weathered wood boxes, extending outwards, drawings one’s eyes towards the tangled oaks and moss-covered rocks of the active creek. East-facing overhangs shade the glazed walls and complement the shade provided by the forest canopy. While architecturally similar, the guest cottage and office are programmatically diverse. The office contains the working spaces while the cottage contains a galley kitchen, a closet, and a bathroom and a main living space with a built-in Murphy bed. Double doors from the living/dining area open onto the shared courtyard between the cottage and office, linking them visually and programmatically.

These small buildings assert themselves when necessary and yet they float softly in their surroundings, clear responses to their place.