Stuart Silk Architects: This large, wooded site is on a small bay on Lake Washington in the Washington Park neighborhood of Seattle. The parcel enjoys sweeping views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains was well suited for our client’s collection of specimen trees. The client’s dream was to find a waterfront property with perfect exposure that would allow them to build a garden that could accommodate these woodland treasures. Loving the calming effect of water—outings rowing along its shores, and viewing the nearby eagles, otters, and blue herons—the couple was fond of Japanese gardens because of their serenity and beauty. For over twenty years they had amassed an impressive collection of plants which they lovingly cared for and painstakingly pruned, consistent with the traditions of Japanese landscaping. For them, the garden was as important as the home. “The priceless collection of trees,” notes landscape architect Richard Hartlage, “are used as nature-inspired sculpture. The garden was designed and organized to feature these magnificent specimens.”
The design seeks to merge garden and shelter. In response, the home is conceived as a collection of one-story pavilions with the garden at its center. The house surrounds the garden to create an experience that is sanctuary-like and has a sense of stillness and calm. The layout of the house responded to the oddly shaped parcel resulting in one pavilion being slightly off axis with the others, ultimately creating greater interest. To maximize light the main pavilion, the design is oriented in an east/west orientation. The house was designed on one floor because the owners didn’t want the inconvenience of steps. The challenge however was how to integrate a single level house with a sloping site, but it posed several challenges in the design of the garden. In the end, having everything on one plane connected by the covered terrace is one of the home’s most dramatic features and signature appeals.
“The garden is heavily influenced by Japanese garden style and features loose interpretations of several classic styles including Tea Garden, Stroll Garden and Temple Garden,” notes Hartlage. “The garden is conceived as a series of framed views and composed vignettes. The first of these is the fountain at the door that opens into the courtyard, which then unfolds as a series of views as you progress to the home’s formal entry. From inside the home, each window also provides framed vignettes, including composed views of sculpted trees, water, and a rock formation. The intent is to create individual scenes that calm and inspire from any viewpoint from the home,” he adds. “The pavilions,” notes architect Stuart Silk, “are connected by a covered walkway that runs most of the length of the property knitting the pavilions together. The interplay between garden and structures weaves a complex relationship between inside and outside space. The result is a living experience that is filled with surprise and delight as the garden reveals its many secrets.” The question became: is the garden the foil for the architecture or is the architecture the foil for the garden? Architecturally, the desire was for the home to capture the essence of traditional Japanese buildings without mimicking familiar imagery or details: to be a reinterpretation of Japanese principles as viewed through the lens of modern Pacific Northwest sensibility. The result is a home that is strongly horizontal, richly tactile, creatively detailed, craft centric, rhythmic, and textural.
Each pavilion has its own separate function: living areas, bedrooms, art studio and garage. Consistent throughout is the low-angled hip roof which is a characteristic of traditional Japanese homes. Long overhanging eaves meet in a minimally designed knife-like edge. Each roof is clad in zinc shingles which invoke the feel of the ancient roofs and which will continue to patina over time to a lustrous grey tone. “To prevent the home from being too dark on the inside,” notes Silk, “we lifted each roof up on ultra-thin steel posts to create space for a continuous band of clerestory windows. Each roof seems to defy gravity.” The sun’s direct rays are shielded by the overhanging eves producing a soft even glow while allowing the winter sun to warm the interior. Pairs of ultra-thin steel columns support the roof as well as the covered walkway, reminiscent of Japanese post and beam structures.
Project name: Hidden Cove Residence
Architecture firm: Stuart Silk Architects
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Photography: Aaron Leitz, John Granen
Collaborators: Sechrist Design (Interior Furnishings), B.E.E. Consulting, LLC (Waterproofing)
Interior design: Stuart Silk Architects
Civil engineer: D.R. Strong Consulting Engineers
Structural engineer: Quantum Consulting Engineers
Landscape: Land Morphology
Construction: Mercer Builders
Stuart silk Architects this large wooded site is on a small Bay on Lake Washington in the Washington Park neighborhood of Seattle the parcel enjoys sweeping views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains was well suited for our client’s collection of specimen trees the client’s dream was to find a waterfront property with Perfect
Exposure that would allow them to build a garden that could accommodate these Woodland Treasures loving the calming effect of water outings rowing along its Shores and viewing the nearby Eagles otters and blue herand the couple was fond of Japanese Gardens because of their Serenity and Beauty for over 20 years
They had amassed an impressive collection of plants which they lovingly cared for and painstakingly pruned consistent with the traditions of Japanese landscaping for them the garden was as important as the home the Priceless collection of trees notes landscape architect Richard hartage are used as nature inspired sculpture the garden was designed and
Organized to feature these magnificent specimens the design seeks to merge garden and shelter in response the home is conceived as a a collection of one-story pavilions with the garden at its Center the house surrounds the garden to create an experience that is sanctuary like and has a sense of Stillness and calm the
Layout of the house responded to the oddly shaped parcel resulting in one Pavilion being slightly off AIS with the others ultimately creating greater interest to maximize light the main Pavilion the design is oriented in an East/West orientation the house was designed on one floor because the owners didn’t want the inconvenience of
Steps the challenge however was how to integrate a single level house with a sloping site but it posed several challenges in the design of the garden in the end having everything on one plane connected by the covered Terrace is one of the home’s most dramatic features and signature
Appeals the garden is heavily influenced by Japanese garden style and features interpretations of several classic Styles including tea garden stroll garden and Temple Garden notes heart the garden is conceived as a series of framed views and composed vignettes the first of these is the fountain at the door that opens into the
Courtyard which then unfolds as a series of views as you progress to the home’s formal entry from inside the home each window also provides framed vignettes including comp osed views of sculpted trees water and a rock formation the intent is to create individual scenes that calm and Inspire
From any Viewpoint from the home he adds The Pavilions notes architect Stuart silk are connected by a covered walkway that runs most of the length of the property knitting The Pavilions together the interplay between garden and structures weaves a complex relationship between inside and outside space the
Result is a living experience that is filled with surprise and Delight as the garden reveals its many Secrets the question became is the garden the foil for the architecture or is the architecture the foil for the garden architecturally the desire was for the home to capture the essence of traditional Japanese buildings without
Mimicking familiar imagery or details to be a reinterpretation of Japanese principles as viewed through the lens of modern Pacific Northwest sens ability the result is a home that is strongly horizontal richly tactile creatively detailed craft Centric rhythmic and textural project name Hidden Cove residence Architecture Firm steart silk Architects location Seattle Washington
USA photography Aaron lates John grinan collaborators secret design Des interior Furnishings be Consulting LLC waterproofing interior design steuart silk Architects civil engineer Dr Strong Consulting Engineers structural engineer Quantum Consulting Engineers landscape land morphology construction Mercer builders
1 Comment
I can't watch the video wit that voiceover, regardless of the content.