For anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest, the importance of warmth and light cannot be overstated. Hank Schubart's timber-clad residences in the region exude both, as Michele Dunkerley writes in a well-researched study of the architect's life and works. Houses Made of Wood and Light begins by detailing Schubart’s personal history, from his upbringing in New York, to his formative experiences at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen, to starting a practice in San Francisco, and ending his architectural journey on Saltspring Island, British Columbia. Following the text-heavy narrative are colorful, chronological installments of various Schubart projects—primarily residences, most of which are on the island, but also a small university in Marin County, and several other civic works. Accounts of each project’s peculiarties are accompanied by photos and site plans that illustrate Schubart’s adeptness with natural materials. One of Schubart’s most admired skills was his uncanny knack for siting projects; in fact, some of his clients, Dunkerley writes, chose him for this ability alone. For those who allowed Schubart to carry out his visions to their fullest, the results were simple, natural homes offering sweeping views of the water—the only catch being that clients would have to commit to washing their floor-to-ceiling windows from ledges designed expressly for that purpose. • $31.50, University of Texas Press, 2012
ARCHITECT’s predecessor publication, Progressive Architecture, featured one of Schubart’s earlier works, the Jones House, in its March 1969 issue.
Shaw TV South Vancouver Island filmed this more interactive look at a few of Schubart’s houses:
