INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION LIVING BOX: PREFABRICATED LIVING UNIT
LOBLOLLY HOUSE
Taylors Island, Maryland, USA
This second home for a family of four on the Chesapeake Bay has a simple program for an
extraordinary site positioned between a dense grove of loblolly pines and a lush foreground of
saltmeadow cordgrass and the bay. The landscape is elemental. The eye sweeps upward from
tall grass, through columnar pines, the sea, the horizon, and the sky. The colors, like an Ellsworth
Kelly painting, define the range of green and blue, with the west setting sun adding a brief daily
burst of orange.
PROCESS(ION)
The architecture is formed about and within these elements of nature. Loblolly House is elevated
on piles within the trees. The cordgrass marsh is elevated to the roof, with the house between the
grass planes of the ground and roof. Water from the pond is pumped to the roof and, along with
rainwater flows through the compluvium in the atrium roof back into the pond, drawing water from
the ground to the roof and back; again with the house between.
Crossing a causeway onto the thinly populated island, the approach is marked by small cottages
and farms. The site at the end of the long peninsular shaped property only reveals itself when the
dense grove of pines recedes at the water's edge. A rough gravel road draws one toward the
reflectance of the bay beyond, past the non-tidal wetlands. The car is parked beneath the house,
amongst a manmade "grove" of eccentrically placed pilings. Past the suspended kayaks,
stepping stones in the pond begin the ritualistic path of the landscape from the water, up through
grass and pines and then to the sky, and then back again. The stones cross the impluvium over a
shallow pond. A right turn brings one to an elevated platform, low and long, that begins the
ascent.
THE “ELEMENTS” OF ARCHITECTURE
The idea of an "elemental" Architecture extends to the method of assembly. With a tight
construction schedule and without access to skilled local labor, Loblolly House embraces the
precision of off- site construction to enhance the elemental poetics of the site and provide the
armature for spatial experience. Beyond the traditional pile platforms, prefabrication led to a
reexamination of the traditional elements of Architecture and segmented construction typologies
into integrated component assemblies.
1. SCAFFOLDING - Anodized aluminum structural components for linear motion
assemblies. Each component fabricated off site has a bar code. This allows for precise
erection in situ upon the locally driven pilings.
2. COFFERS- "Sandwiches" constructed offsite are prefabricated wood trusses clad in
plywood sheets in alternating directions to resist shear. These simultaneously form the
floors, ceilings, and roof. Within this 12" deep sandwich are integrated radiant floor
heating, insulated micro ducts for air conditioning, and wiring for power, lighting, and
data. Each sandwich is 4 feet wide and lengths vary according to the floors and space.
They are set upon the aluminum scaffold and bolted together. The top layers of plywood
overlap to provide structural continuity.
3. BOXES- Spatial units fabricated off site contain the most complex and intricate elements
of the house:
o Kitchen Box - All cabinetry and fixtures are constructed as large furniture off site
with integrated fixtures and systems, connected on site to waiting utility hookups
in the lateral coffers.
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION LIVING BOX: PREFABRICATED LIVING UNIT
o
o
Bathroom/Closet Boxes - Floors, walls, ceilings, glazing, roofs, finishes, fixtures
and drainage system, power and lighting are finished within the factory and lifted
into place at waiting utility hook ups.
Library - Floor, walls, ceilings, glazing, casework, built-in furniture and
mechanical electrical systems completely fitted out off-site and lifted into position.
The entire assembly from the platform up is scheduled to be completed in thirty days.
EXTERIOR SKIN
Transparent and Translucent panels- Off -the- shelf product employed within custom designed
hinged and sliding assemblies. Constructed off site as multi level units and attached to the
structural frame. The units are placed 16" forward of a fully retractable double glazed storefront
creating a high performance cavity wall assembly.
ASCENT THROUGH HOUSE AND SITE
A screen of articulated cedar boards, varied in width and spacing, provides foreground and
background for the climb to the living spaces. The first level contains the master suite, private and
public porches and a second bedroom. The exterior landing opens to a small atrium. This atrium
is enlivened by orange glazing illuminated from behind, a constant remainder of the west setting
sun within the house. Shadows appear cast beyond by those crossing the interior bridges. To the
left, the views are through the screen of the straight unadorned pine trunks. Continuing up
beneath the projecting library bay, the canopy of pines becomes increasingly apparent. A landing
at the second and more public level allows oblique views through the screen back to the main
approach and towards the bay and the setting sun to the west. Pausing at an exterior porch
carved out of the building's volume, one enters the main living space.
A bi-level bridge bracketed by the orange glazing joins the main house to the secondary
bedrooms and views to the bay to the west. Once across the bridge, the bedroom is to the left
with the guest bathroom down a half a level to the right. Straight ahead is access to the green
roof. The landscaped roof, beyond its benefits of additional heat reflectance and insulation, pays
homage to the site's indigenous cordgrass by elevating the foreground to the sky. Excessive
runoff is diverted to the compluvium, an oval aperture above the bridge. Water falls into the rising
and falling pond, uniting sky, ground, and bay through the medium of water.
HORIZON
Views here, through a fully retractable glass wall and hinged translucent panels are over the
cordgrass towards the bay. These panels, (sliding at the first level and hinged on the second)
provide relief from the western light. They reflect the sky and water, contrasting with the cedar
screen absorbing the pines. The screen reappears in the dining spaces overlooking the shallow
pond.
Loblolly House aspires to transform site and fabrication into architecture formed about the most
basic and profound elements of place and construction.
PROJECT INFORMATION
LOCATION: Taylors Island, Maryland, USA
SITE CHARACTERISTICS: Flat Non-Tidal Uplands and Wetlands on Chesapeake Bay
ZONING RESTRAINTS: Residential
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION LIVING BOX: PREFABRICATED LIVING UNIT
TYPE OF CLIENT: Single Family Residential
PROGRAM: 1800sf Weekend House
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS: Marine Structural Pilings, Structural Aluminum Scaffold,
Integrated “Coffer” Floor/Ceiling/Roof Panels, Operable KalWall/NanaWall Double Skin West
Facade, Varied Width Cedar Board Rainscreen/Scrim Wall, Off-Site Fabricated Kitchen, Library,
and Bathrooms
SCHEDULED COMPLETION: Winter 2006