Bird Watcher's House
- LEAD ARCHITECT
- Jim Olson, FAIA (view bio)
- LOCATION & YEAR
- Puget Sound, WA, 2006
- PROJECT TYPES
- Houses/Apartments
Poject Details
Creating a home in tune to the rhythms of nature was the primary design objective for this couple—avid bird watchers and lovers of nature. Strategically situated between a forest and a meadow, nature becomes the focal point. Large window walls, rooftop terraces and small outbuildings allow nature to be experienced at all levels of the house. Axial in plan, the house stretches out into the site in the four cardinal directions. The cross axis forms the center of the house and is marked by a skylit “cosmic” shaft connecting earth to sky. This central space serves as a gallery for the couple’s growing art collection.

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