The Pierre in San Juan Islands, Washington by Olson Kundig Architects

Article source: Olson Kundig Architects

The owner’s affection for a stone outcropping on her property and the views from its peak inspired the design of this house. Conceived as a bunker nestled in the rock, the Pierre (French for stone) celebrates the materiality of the site. From certain angles, the house—with its rough materials, encompassing stone, green roof, and surrounding foliage—almost completely disappears into nature.

Image Courtesy © Dwight Eschliman

• Architects: Olson Kundig Architects
• Project: The Pierre
• Location: San Juan Islands, Washington
• Photography: Dwight Eschliman, Benjamin Benschneider
• Engineer – Civil: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
• Engineer – Geotechnical: Associated Earth Sciences
• Engineer – Structural: MCE Structural Consultants
• General Contractor: Schuchart, Dow 

Image Courtesy © Dwight Eschliman

With the exception of a separate guest suite, the house functions on one main level, with an open plan kitchen and dining and living space. Two large bookcases open to provide concealed access to laundry and kitchen storage. A large pivoting steel and glass door opens for access to an outdoor terrace. Set at a right angle to the main spaces, the master suite features a custom-designed bed with a leather headboard and footboard set in the middle of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The sink in the master bathroom is composed in water cascading through three polished pools in the existing stone.

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

Throughout the house, the rock extrudes into the space, contrasting with the textures of the furnishings. Interior and exterior fireplace hearths are carved out of existing stone; leveled on top, they are otherwise left raw.

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

To set the house deep into the site, portions of the rock outcropping were excavated using a combination of machine work and handwork. Excavated rock was reused as crushed aggregate in the concrete flooring and in a boulder wall in the carport. This reuse eliminated significant costs in having to haul waste from the site. A green roof added a pervious surface to an area where there was none previously; this slows down storm water run-off through absorption and evaporation.

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

Tags: San Juan Islands, Washington

Category: House

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 at 5:52 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.