Ogden Dunes

Project Details

Project Description

Ogden Dunes is a residence positioned within a hilly dune landscape along Lake Michigan. The site borders a public beach access path to the north and allows the otherwise narrow lot to open to more expansive views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Privacy from the public path is defined using a series of L-shaped stucco walls in a staggered configuration. The southern face opens up to the heart of the house—a private courtyard in which interior living spaces pinwheel around and receive natural light. Wood window walls span the void openings between the masonry "L" walls, allowing lake views and natural light to permeate the living areas. The thick stucco walls function as insulated radiant masses that maintain even temperature and humidity throughout the house and minimize diurnal swings. A geothermal well field and heat pumps were employed to heat and cool the air and radiant systems delivered to the home. Native plantings and permeable landscape pavers and material allow stormwater to permeate the site and eventually return to the aquifer and lake.