Project Description
FROM THE AIA MARYLAND
The client, a retired writer, envisioned this unique, waterfront retreat to be a “catawampus” collection of buildings reflecting a “turn of the century Chesapeake wharf community thrown together with flotsam and jetsam and things found in the woods… sheds, shanties and arks to shield sawyers, fishermen, gunners, shuckers and pickers from the elements.” A group of three buildings was developed, each with its own programmatic function. “The Depot” houses the main living area, “The Bunk House” houses sleeping and office areas, and “The Basket Factory” contains a woodworking shop, storage, and garage. Each building uses simple gable, shed and lean-to forms combined as needed to enclose the desired space. These simple buildings with their loose arrangement on the site create a complexity similar to the jumble of buildings found along a working waterfront. A framework within which components could be incorporated as construction progressed allowed these buildings to evolve as they were built.