The resulting building envelope was much shallower than wide,
allowing nearly every room to have an ocean view. One of the
primary design strategies was stepping the south-facing facade to
allow windows to wrap corners.
That created diagonal sightlines up and down the beach, framing
vistas and visually expanding the interior spaces. Angled roof
profiles and ceiling finishes also direct the eye upward and outward.
Access to the house is provided in two places. A stair leading from
the beach lands on a deck that spans the width of the house (and
has become a prime party location). The west side of the house
abuts a pedestrian pathway. A separate switchback stair gives
access from that path to the side entrance, which slides between
volumes corresponding to the living room and an indoor-outdoor
bath/shower. Because it is accessible from outside, that sky lit
bathroom it provides a place to rinse off and deposit bathing suits
and towels before entering the house.
These two entrances flank the living room volume, which is defined
by a raised cedar-clad ceiling, nine-foot tall south-facing sliding
glass doors and a diagonally pitched roof. Across from the dining
area, the kitchen abuts the stair to the second floor in an L-shaped
alcove. The clients wanted separate zones for adults and children to
live and entertain in. That was accomplished by locating the master
suite on the main floor, so that the children can have the second
floor to themselves.
On the east side, the master bedroom has wraparound windows
looking east toward undeveloped beach frontage. A bathroom and
walk-in closet buffer the bedroom from a parking lot to the north.
A level change allows part of the deck to connect directly to the
master suite.
Upstairs, three small bedrooms feel expansive thanks to their corner
views. A rec room opens onto a covered deck. The fibreglass-
wrapped roof culminates in a large “surfboard-like” overhang that
protects the first floor from solar heat gain. White cedar cladding
wraps the building and roof overhangs and encases the sides of the
deck, helping the house fit in despite its newness.
26