Hood Canal Cabin
This cabin is an 800 s.f. seasonal residence on a large Hood Canal view property, for an active professional couple. It is nestled deep in a ravine on the waterfront, with the earth rising up on either side. Access is via a long driveway created by linking together to existing logging roads.
The cabin is oriented diagonally with respect to the shoreline, and its architectural expression derives from the various natural aspects of the site.
The structure and material choices are respectful of the various time lines in play, from the geological time of earth movement with which the massive concrete columns interact, to the shorter, more intermittent time line of human occupancy, to which we respond with smaller, tactile, fragile, and somewhat more manageable wood pieces.
Other elements reflect the nature of the place of which the cabin is a part. The rear approach side
is closed due to the steep slope and heavy vegetation; the front is open to the view, which presents itself as a V-shaped cut between the two hillsides.
These qualities are reflected in both the fenestration and the railing, whose angled divisions between opacity and transparency are designed to provide the maximum enclosure and protection at the building entry points, and maximum view at the prow-like corner.