Sunset: Western home awards

FindArticles > Sunset > March, 2006 > Article > Print friendly

Western home awards

Jess Chamberlain

We explore truly great home design every two years with the Western Home Awards, sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and Sunset since 1957. This year's jury, composed of architects and Sunset staffers, met last September to choose 13 homes out of 250 entries from across the West. The winners--which range from a forest-inspired getaway on Orcas Island, Washington, to a "stealth addition" in Santa Monica--demonstrate that a strong sense of place, along with a vivid connection to the outdoors, is a key measure of quality. The winning projects also spotlight the expanding trends of eco-savvy building and innovative community design. It's an inspiring architectural buffet. Dig in!

MERIT AWARD

Custom house

TUCSON

At one with the desert

This low-slung dwelling fits its sloping site like a saddle straddling a horse, yet still offers tall interiors that open to outside sitting areas.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The U-shaped house celebrates its setting in numerous ways. It wraps around a private central courtyard, with sliding glass doors that let the living/dining room flow into the sheltered outdoor space. The main rooms face south; an overhanging roof protects the interior spaces from summer sun but allows low-angled winter sun to store its energy in the concrete floors. The house takes color cues from its desert surroundings: Concrete-block walls and colored concrete floors echo the subtle mauve gray of the landscape's volcanic rhyolite stone.

Design: Wilson Peterson Architect, Tucson (520/884-1702)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

HONOR AWARD

Remodel

SAUSALITO, CA

History with a light touch

Built in 1869, this home needed an updated kitchen, seismic and electrical upgrading, and more light in interior rooms.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The simplicity of the remodel shows sensitivity to what was there before, while bringing in much more natural light. Owner and architect Mary Griffin replaced a 1920s shed-roof addition at the back with a slightly larger addition that allowed the kitchen to move out of the historic part of the house. She turned the new kitchen into a large light box with a translucent roof made of aluminum-and-fiberglass Kalwall panels (www.kalwall.com). Widened openings between the major rooms further brighten the interior.

Design: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, Berkeley (www.tgharchs.com or 510/841-9000)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MERIT AWARD

Vacation house

JULIAETTA, ID

Natural slant

The challenge of this home was to create a nature-oriented getaway for fishing, writing, gardening, and welcoming grandkids on a steep slope overlooking the Clearwater River, while keeping the setting as pristine as possible.

Why it won: Its simple outline and rustic materials echo the shape and character of the rural surroundings. The house is a straightforward, rectangular, galvanized sheet metal-clad box inserted into an earthquake-resistant timber frame: the shed roof follows the angle of the slope, and the footprint of the house is minimal because rooms overlap as they stairstep down the slope. Views are of the canyon and eagles fishing for steelhead in the river below.

Design: Paul Hirzel Architect, Pullman, WA (509/335-1373)

MERIT AWARD

Remodel

SANTA MONICA

Modern dollhouse

This two-story rear addition to a 1950s house includes a master suite over a printing studio that opens to a new pool patio.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The clarity of the design--continuing the modern post-and-beam architecture of the original house in a subtle way--makes for an almost seamless addition. Yet there are understated differences between old and new, as in the glass corner of the master bedroom; the 5-foot cantilever over the lower floor that shades the patio; and the 18-foot-long wall of sliding glass doors that opens the entire studio to the pool patio, a great feature for parties. The design caused minimal intrusion into the existing structure so the family could remain at home during construction.

Design: Michael W. Folonis and Associates, Santa Monica (www.folonisarchitect.com or 310/450-4011)

MERIT AWARD

Vacation house

ORCAS ISLAND, WA

Elegant lean-to

Dixon and Ruthanne Long wanted to inhabit a private wooden "sculpture" with protected water views.

Why it won: The building is pared down to its essential parts--roof, supports, and enclosure. It resembles a graceful lean-to, with a long, angled roof held up indoors by a series of massive tripods of peeled Western red cedar logs. A wall of glass makes the house almost disappear into the forested hillside, and allows for an unobstructed view of ferries moving through Puget Sound. "The one word that [architect] James Cutler used for this building was transparency," says Dixon Long. "We never imagined the drama."

Design: Cutler Anderson Architects, Bainbridge Island, WA (www.cutler-anderson.com or 206/842-4710)

SPECIAL AWARD

Earth-friendly materials

CANNON BEACH, OR

Pacific overlook

Tucked into a coastal hilltop site beneath a sod roof, this energy- and resource-efficient home integrates cutting-edge technology with timeless natural materials.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The home uses green materials in imaginative ways: wind-fallen cedar and spruce as structural columns; sustainably grown wood for floors, framing, and cabinetry; and salvaged doors, hardware, and bathroom fixtures. Designed as a net-zero-energy home--which means it generates as much energy as it consumes--it incorporates photovoltaic panels from which extra energy returns to the utility power grid; it also has a geothermal heat pump (capitalizing on the near-constant temperature of the earth's crust) and a heat recovery exchange system that recirculates warmed or cooled air.

Design: Nathan Good Architect, Salem, OR (www.nathangoodarchitect.com or 503/370-4448)

SPECIAL AWARD

Earth-friendly materials

GARDNERVILLE, NV

Sierra self-sufficiency

The torn-paper profile of the Sierra Nevada makes a rugged backdrop for this angular, contemporary home that employs alternative construction techniques and solar technologies.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: Thick walls of rammed earth use straw bales as low-cost insulation. Salvaged lumber was turned into beams, flooring, and interior siding (some stained a vivid blue). Kitchen counters incorporate recycled glass. Solar-heated water circulates in a radiant-heat floor that is further warmed by winter sun. In summer, the roof overhang shades windows, while thick, highly insulated walls keep it from overheating. Photovoltaic panels on the roof and on a trellis make the house largely independent from the utility power grid.

Design: Arkin Tilt Architects, Berkeley (www.arkintilt.com or 510/528-9830)

MERIT AWARD

Vacation house

THE SEA RANCH, CA

Frame for outdoor living

Making the most of a narrow lot at the Sea Ranch--a primarily second-home community on the Sonoma coast--without compromising views or disrupting a cypress grove was the object here.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: It resists the urge to hog the view of the Pacific Ocean, letting the landscape dominate the design. The architects placed Anne and Greg Evans's one-story weekend house toward the rear of their narrow lot near a stand of cypress trees, where it would be less exposed to neighbors--thus drawing the view into a small compound consisting of the main living/dining/kitchen structure across a courtyard from the master suite. "We pulled the major pieces of the house apart to frame the ocean, letting the landscape and exterior living space take center stage," says architect Eric Haesloop.

Design: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, Berkeley (www.tgharchs.com or 510/841-9000)

HONOR AWARD

New community

REDMOND, WA

Cottage neighborhood

Think of it as an instant village. This community of 12 houses, none larger than 1,000 square feet, gathers around an expansive green.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: Building small can feel generous. The homes, the central lawn, and a solar-powered community center use only 1 3/5 acres of the 9 1/2-acre site. There are no driveways and garages; the shared parking area is remotely located to encourage pedestrian traffic and reduce noise. It's the first completed project under the city of Redmond's Innovative Housing Ordinance, which allows developers to experiment with types of housing.

Design: Ross Chapin Architects, Langley, WA (www.rosschapin.com or 360/221-2373); Jim Soules, the Cottage Company, Seattle (www.cottagecompany.com or 206/525-0835)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MERIT AWARD

Custom house

STINSON BEACH, CA

Blurring boundaries

This beach house, at once polished and rustic, embodies casual indoor-outdoor living.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The home was inspired by well-known Bay Area architect William Wurster, who designed the earlier structure that burned down. His brand of understated California modernism allows for the present home's easy flow to wind-protected outdoor spaces. The H-shaped plan puts the living/dining area at the center. To meet seismic codes and federal requirements for homes in high-risk coastal zones, the structure sits on wood posts with rod bracing like a fishing pier, permitting floodwaters to run underneath.

Design: Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, Berkeley (www.tgharchs.com or 510/841-9000)

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MERIT AWARD

Vacation house

PUGET SOUND, WA

Shipshape cabin

A comfortable retreat fits into a tiny but durable 16- by 22-foot package perched on a gusty island northwest of Seattle.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: Architect Tim Carlander borrowed design principles from boatbuilding to create a multifunctional one-room box. The roof angles upward just enough to shed rain and make space for a sleeping loft. A simple L-shaped wall projects outward from the box, sheltering a small garden and providing privacy from uphill neighbors. Standard-size panels of maple and cherry plywood are screwed directly onto the interior wall studs. "There are no structural gymnastics here," Carlander says. Small but mighty, the sturdy cabin features double doors that bring the natural drama of the Northwest inside. Rugged fiber-board and galvanized aluminum siding ease maintenance.

Design: Vandeventer + Carlander Architects, Seattle (www.vc-arch.com or 206/323-8770)

MERIT AWARD

Remodel

DENVER

Space to entertain

A 1920s brick house in a historic Denver neighborhood suffered from small, dark rooms and was cut off from the garden.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: The design integrates house and landscape with a handsome L-shaped patio edged with a long water feature that doubles as a bench. Owners Jim Theye and Dee Chirafisi like to entertain, and the newly expanded living/dining space now opens to the patio on two sides so parties can flow easily into the garden. "We took out a lot of walls and enlarged some openings to create a real connection between indoors and out," Chirafisi says. The living area even includes a pivoting support bracket for a flat-screen television beside a sliding door, allowing for outdoor movies.

Design: Sarah Brown, Dalton Davis, and Dave Robb, Semple Brown Design, Denver (www.sbdesign-pc.com or 303/571-4137)

MERIT AWARD

Custom house

VASHON ISLAND, WA

Home for all seasons

Landscape architect David Pfeiffer and his partner wanted the best of both worlds--"to enjoy a rural environment and still be close to Seattle," says Pfeiffer.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Why it won: Architects Robert Hull and Teresa Russell designed this modern farmhouse around a long, central trellis. "We were looking for an element that held together the architecture and site, and the trellis did exactly that," Hull says. Extending through the home and reaching deep into the surrounding gardens, it anchors the main house, guest room, and detached garage/studio to the lushly planted landscape. The house faces southwest for maximum exposure to the sun and features parallel indoor-outdoor dining and living rooms.

Design: The Miller/Hull Partnership, Seattle (www.millerhull.com or 206/682-6837); Garden Architecture, Vashon (www.davidpfeiffer.com or 206/463-5400)

The jury

Charles Anderson, architect, Seattle

Marsha Maytum, FAIA, San Francisco

Elizabeth Moule, architect, Pasadena

David E. Shambach, AIA, Tucson

Boyce Thompson, editor-in-chief, Builder magazine, Washington, D.C.

John Wolff, AIA, Boulder, CO

Irene Edwards, Sunset executive editor

Daniel P. Gregory, PhD, Sunset senior editor

Peter O. Whiteley, Sunset senior writer

Winners will be recognized at a ceremony hosted by Marvin Windows and Doors and James Hardie Building Products at Sunset's headquarters.