Location: Whidbey Island, Washington
Project size: Main house, 2,300 square feet; guest house, 560 square feet
Program: A secluded home and guest house, set on a bluff in Washington state, serve as a retreat for a wildlife photographer and a blacksmith to live and work.
Solution: Three covered porches extend from the south, east, and west sides of the main house, which has two bedrooms, an office, a media room, and a mudroom off of a central kitchen, living, and dining room with high ceilings and a wall of windows. Meanwhile, the guest house is settled deep into the trees of the site. Making the most of the landscape, the simple, concrete structure is partially submerged into the ground, virtually unseen from passersby on the road. The green roof and berm are covered with native grasses and ferns. A calm wood interior creates a feeling of spaciousness, despite the small footprint.
Construction and materials: While the guest house exemplifies passive strategies with thick concrete walls sunken into the earth, the main house consists of large windows and skylights to provide balanced daylight with hydronic radiant floors. A 9.02 kW ground-mounted photovoltaic array sits in the nearby meadow, while rainwater is harvested from the pavilion roof and rain garden and stored in 8,000-gallon cisterns before being pumped into a filtration system in the garage. Both structures on the retreat utilize materials that are not on the Red List (free of harmful chemicals) and low in heavy metals. Materials including wood and concrete were chosen for their longevity and low maintenance, in addition to being reclaimed or sustainably harvested.
Additional Information
Gross square footage: 2900 square feet
Total project cost: withheld
Owner: anonymous
Aerial view of main house and guest house. Photo © Kevin Scott, click to enlarge.
Main house. Photo © Kevin Scott
Guest house. Photo © Kevin Scott
Guest house. Photo © Kevin Scott
Guest house. Photo © Kevin Scott
Guest house. Photo © Kevin Scott
Click plans and sections to enlarge
Main house plan.
Guest house plan.
Guest House Section
Main house section
Credits
Architect:
The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP, 71 Columbia, 6th Floor, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-682-6837, www.millerhull.com
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Main House
Ron Rochon, FAIA: Partner-in-Charge
Robert Hull, FAIA: Design Lead
Cassie Hillman Picard: Project Manager
Jim Hanford, AIA: Sustainability Lead
Guest House
Ron Rochon, FAIA: Partner-in-Charge
Cassie Hillman Picard, Design Lead and Project Manager
Jim Hanford, AIA: Sustainability Lead
Architect of record:
The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP, 71 Columbia, 6th Floor, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-682-6837, www.millerhull.com
Associate architect(s):
N/A
Interior designer:
The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP, Cassie Hillman Picard
Engineers:
Structural Engineer: Julie Smith Lubke
Geotechnical Engineer: Associated Earth Sciences Inc.: Bruce Blyton
Consultants:
Landscape Architect: Berger Partnership: Jonathan Morley
Lighting Designer: Brian Hood Lighting Design: Joel Severud
General contractor:
Kamera & Gilles: Dennis Kamera and Richard Merrill
Photographer:
Kevin Scott, www.kevinscott.us
Specifications
Exterior Cladding
Metal Panels: Corten
Rainscreen: Steel plate
Wood: Reclaimed wood siding
Moisture barrier: Prosoco R-Guard
Other cladding unique to this project:
Custom board formed concrete
Stone Masonry: Marenakos Stone Center
Roofing:
Built-up roofing: TPO
Metal: Morin / Standing seam metal roofing
Elastomeric: Firestone Building Products
Windows:
Wood/Metal frame: Quantum; Loewen
Glazing:
Skylights: Velux
Other: Resolite Tred-Safe FRP panels
Doors:
Wood doors: Quantum; Loewen; Custom wood entry door
Sliding doors: Quantum
Special doors: KB Architectural Services
Hardware:
Locksets: Sun Valley Bronze
Pulls: Sun Valley Bronze
Interior Finishes:
Solid surfacing: Environite
Special surfacing: Argent Fabrications.
Floor and wall tile: Pental tile
Carpet: Tufenkian Carpets
Furnishings:
Chairs: Arne Jacobsen, Cherner
Upholstery: Village Upholstery
Lighting:
Interior ambient lighting: Tech Lighting, Hevi Lite
Downlights: Halo
Exterior: RAB Lighting, BK Lighting
Plumbing:
Enter Plumbing Product Here: [Waterstone]
Enter Plumbing Product Here: [Grohe]
Energy:
Photovoltaic system: 9.02 kW ground-mounted array, Silicon Energy panels, Whidbey Sun and Wind (contractor)
Other unique products that contribute to sustainability:
Water reclamation system designed and installed by Northwest Rain Solutions
Heat recovery ventilation system: Zehnder
Air/Water heat pump for radiant heating and domestic hot water: Daikin Altherma
