House on an Isthmus: A Modern House with Weathering Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Bleached White Oak

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Completed in 2017 by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, House on an Isthmus sits on a property that occupies a narrow isthmus of land. This modern house is positioned to take advantage of long and awesome views in both directions. Weathering Alaskan yellow cedar and bleached white oak are some of the material palettes that used for this house to age due to the seaside environment of the site.

Design

With the planning requirements of coastal flooding regulations, this modern house can sit higher on its site to provide elevated views to the bay for the lower floor while the house’s upper floor rises to level with the oceanfront dunes. This way also adds an awesome ocean view to the major living spaces of the house.

A manmade ‘dune’ has been sculpted rather than developing a large, hard-edged plinth. This house can rest on this ‘dune’ and its edges can be softened, reducing the perceived scale, and developing the naturalized indigenous landscape solution as well.

Spaces

The first floor of this house is designed as two wooden masses that separated to create an open space for gallery and entry where a beautiful stone floor flows through. The house’s upper level is a long bridging container, a four-sided wooden shell that cantilevers to the south and spans the gallery. This shell also creates expansive, heavily-shaded porches on the ocean.

Materials

Besides weathering Alaskan yellow cedar and bleached white oak, this house is also designed with a material palette that consists of glass, Vals quartzite, Pietra del Cardoso, and board-formed concrete tinted to match the sand.