Video timeline: 00:00 – Engaging Concrete To Create The Floating Home 00:55 – Introduction to 01:55 – The Client’s Vision 02:20 – The Process Of Arrival 02:47 – Playful Interventions Throughout The Home 03:36 – Utilising Mirrors In The Interior Design 04:09 – Landscaping Inspired By The Journey 04:35 – Bespoke Ventilation System 05:09 – The 4th Built Element 05:36 – Manifesting The Original Idea
One of the buildings is Koonya, a home with an experience that extends all the way to the horizon. The outdoor sculptural piece (the Pulmonum), main house and Glass House offer a retreat as well as a raw and direct connection to place that is potent and memorable. As such, Room11 establishes a strong and unwavering approach to creating a floating home.
Concrete is abundantly used across the three projects, with Room11 drawing on its solidity to create a standalone floating home in a broad landscape that offers an immense, modern art-like structure whilst still feeling comfortable and providing a sense of sanctuary. The key to establishing architecture in such a remote location is considering and highlighting the qualities of the site.
The large window looking out towards the horizon acts as a piece of art, marking the endpoint of a journey as one descends into the building before being projected into the landscape. The somewhat brutal approach to creating this floating home allowed Room11 to make playful interventions off the main spaces. For example, one of the bedrooms has a low, horizontal window that offers views of the landscape beyond when one lies down. Additionally, the master bedroom has a sheepskin cupboard, providing a playful and enjoyable element that also exudes a feeling of warmth.
Located just outside Winthrop in eastern Washington, the site for this small cabin lies in the Methow Valley. Nestled in the foothills of the North Cascade mountains, the dramatic views from the site and opportunity for year round recreation drew our client to this region. A strong relationship to the site topography and varying climate was key to the design.
The program for the project was to design a two bedroom cabin which maximized the connection to the surrounding natural environment and outdoor living. This cabin would initially serve as a weekend retreat from the city, and later become a permanent home. Our client wanted to create an efficient floor plan for the house, with open interior/exterior living, bedrooms above, and garage below. It was important to use durable materials throughout the exterior of the cabin due to the extreme climate and fire hazard in the area. The upper levels of the cabin sit on a concrete plinth which forms the garage. Concrete is used to both ground the cabin and retain the natural slope of the site that the cabin sits in. Above, black corrugated metal sheets are used as an efficient and weather resistant siding material. A shed roof with large overhangs on all sides protects the cabin from the heavy winter snowload. A large cantilevered exterior deck opens out from the main level, vastly increasing the living space in the summer months. Views from the deck capture the surrounding mountain ranges and natural beauty of the site.
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