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KAYAK HOUSE
LOTUS, CALIFORNIA
Photography:
Luke Ogrydziak
Jury
Comments: A unique living space has been created
out of a playful combination of durable materials, simple
construction techniques, and a river kayaking theme.
Concrete block and exposed steel structural elements have
been combined with stone and metal decking to reinforce the
perception of durability and longevity. Together, they offer
a strong aesthetic statement of sustainability that is
important to the home owner.
This 3,700 square-foot house is for an avid Kayaker and
his wife. The house is located on a 4.5 acre lot,
“river right” on the South Fork of the American
River overlooking one of the best kayak runs in Northern
California.
The first of three primary themes that are the embodiment of this project is that the house is built as close to the river as reasonably feasible (five feet above the 100-year floodline). Towards the river, the floor plan of the house focuses on two important kayak-related site features: the rapids and the launch. The 25-foot high living room, constructed of earth-colored split face masonry units, faces upriver, resulting in an ever-changing tableau of kayaks and rafts drifting past, and the 35-foot high dining room clad in Douglas fir faces the owner’s private kayak launch.
The second primary theme for the owners was to make their house as durable as possible – to last beyond their lifetimes for the enjoyment of future generations. This meant a dramatic deviation from conventional construction techniques typical of the region, which tend towards wood balloon-framing. Instead, the house design employed details and trades-people more typically associated with non-residential applications. Structurally, the house is extremely robust: standard concrete masonry unit walls support a steel framework, metal decking, and a metal roof. Wet location casework is stainless steel (kitchen and bathrooms); and wet location floors and walls are limestone (bathrooms).
The third primary theme is that the owners not only wanted a durable house, they also wanted something that was an aesthetic statement about their environmental beliefs. In the house design, this is reflected in the straightforward use of sustainable non-environmentally depleting materials such as concrete masonry units, concrete, steel, etc., that are assembled in a “simple” way. Wherever possible joints in the house are exposed rather than concealed. This type of construction emphasizes the beauty of the construction process by revealing the craftsmanship of the structure itself.
ARCHITECT:
Ogrydziak/Prillinger Architects
2148
Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Luke
Ogrydziak, AIA
Zoë Prillinger
Principals
STRUCTURAL
ENGINEER:
Carlton Engineering
GENERAL
CONTRACTOR:
Louis DeBret Construction
MASONRY
CONTRACTOR:
Sacramento Masonry
BLOCK
PRODUCER:
Pavestone Company
OWNER:
Withheld by request
