Wooded Island Camp

Project Details

Project Description

The clients, architects, and builder fell in love with the secluded, heavily wooded island and wanted to craft a design solution that embraced the site. To help achieve this goal the camp is built on piers allowing trees to remain close to the structure, nesting the building into the landscape and giving the sense that the camp has been on the site for many years. Designed primarily for summer living, the camp has a relaxed plan with the entry into a screened porch that blurs the boundaries between the interior and exterior as it allows users to flow through from the water up the hill of the site and links the main living spaces with the bedroom cabin. To further blend into the landscape and open the house to views of the lake, the low pitched shed roofs mimic the surrounding grade of the site that are connected by lower, flatter roofs covered in pine duff. The exterior is clad with hand-split cedar shakes with a semi transparent charcoal stain inspired by the color and texture of the surrounding tree bark. The building is framed with re-sawn antique heart pine rafters. The floors are torrefied oak in the main spaces and garapa decking with torrefied oak spacers between to feel like a boat deck at the porches and stair. In an effort to further blur the boundaries between the interior and exterior the main bathroom has shake siding for walls and the shower is clad with reclaimed slate shingles with a corner window and luminous skylight above, giving the sense of an outdoor shower. Working on a small, private island on a pond provided many opportunities and challenges. The first challenge was how to effectively bring construction equipment and materials out to the island, which resulted in the builder constructing a small barge. Building on piers helped minimize concrete use, as all the concrete was brought over in bags and mixed with a small, antique concrete mixer the builder found. Utilities were another challenge; to meet the needs of the camp a small mechanical shed is located near the highpoint of the island in an existing clearing, sited to maximize sunlight. The roof of the mechanical building has photovoltaic panels and solar hot water panels. The roof rotates with a crank wheel adjusting the slope of the roof to harvest as much sunlight as possible throughout the changing seasons.