Dramatic Wisconsin Home Fuses Organic Architecture and Sustainability

 In architecture, biophilia is more than plants scattered about the house. Biophilic design also incorporates natural materials, natural light, expansive views to the outdoors and nature, outdoor living rooms, and even responsiveness to and simulation of natural features found at the site.

 When this couple began the design process for their wooded site with dramatic lake views in Chenequa, Wisconsin, they had clear intentions. "We spoke only with architects whose work demonstrated organic design principles," they say. In 2007, they found Robert Harvey Oshatz, whose firm is based in Portland, Oregon. They were instantly intrigued by the dynamic forms of Oshatz's work and how he integrated those forms with the homes' surrounding environments.

Reflecting the Poetry of the Site  

"We told Robert we wanted to save the trees on the property," recall the homeowners. "He proposed a flowing form curving in-between the trees." Adds Oshatz, "We essentially wound the structure between the existing trees, giving the home a circular form that begins on the inside and works its way out to the exterior." 

"Basically, the home is three stories, with a three-level atrium or cylinder at the center," Oshatz explains. "The staircase wraps around and cantilevers out from the stone cylinder, which is also an elevator. The floors, which wind their way out from the central cylinder, were placed to take advantage of the lake views, how sunlight enters the home, and the curvatures reflecting the way you wind between the trees."

"When Robert asked us about textures and colors, we said we like natural materials in their original colors like stone and wood," the homeowners add. "He said he would work with our palette. To our eyes, he seemed to let the forms of the house dictate the materials." 

Adds Oshatz, "Every site has its own poetry. We wanted to relate the structure and the materials to the poetry of the site." They chose natural stone inside and out, interior soffits of hemlock (to help the interior remain light and airy), concrete floors stained an earthy rust color, and on the exterior stucco that highlights the edges of the floor planes and defines the upper floor volume, and cedar fascia.

Throughout the home, floor-to-ceiling glass or glazing brings the outside in and provides dramatic views of the woods and lake. By removing the structure from the glazing line, by carefully continuing exterior materials inside right through the window walls, and creating the spiral shape, Oshatz designed a home without any directional emphasis. As a result, the family enjoys connections to the outdoors in every direction. The house, in turn, celebrates the forest and the lake.

As for the family, they love their sustainable home. "We're constantly delighted by little discoveries we make every day in the house," they say, "but mainly, we appreciate the comfortable feeling we have being in the house. This goes with what Robert said when we interviewed him: that "the structure should be at peace with its environment, and we should be at peace within it."