Harvesting House
The harvest house takes its inspiration partly form the language of complex wood structures such as wood rollercoasters and boat making.
The project proposes the house as harvester of views, sun, rain and wind. This “off the grid” house is situated at the edge of a salt marsh on Florida’s west coast with a southern orientation that “harvests” the site’s exposure to sun, rain, wind and views. The roof form of the house is “elastic” in that it mitigates these competing demands of harvesting by transitioning smoothly from collecting sunlight to collecting water to collecting views. The house is placed at the transition from salt marsh to pine forest to take advantage of two distinct spaces (forest and marsh) and the numerous site resources to be “harvested” while minimizing the impact on the existing ecosystem. The project continues research into fabrication and customization technologies in the wood industry is constructed using CNC timber frame.
site plan - The site planning is designed to minimize cutting of trees by concentrating the volume of the house at the edge of the marsh just in the tree canopy. All of the harvested trees will be used in the construction of the new home.
View from marsh - The house is situated at the boundary between the marsh and the pine forest. Maximizing the harvesting of wind, sun and light from the south while providing a break from these conditions facing the pine forest.
diagram of sun, wind and rain- the house is oriented to capture the prevailing winds, while the roof form is designed to maximize the harvesting of sun through the photovoltaics on its south face, the entire roof acts as a catchment for a grey water system.
view of interior showing CNC cut timber frame
view of entry through pine forest
The project in development showing the concrete and wood timber systems that comprise the house.
Photovoltaic roof
CNC Cut Timber Frame
Solid Engineered Laminated Lumber
The concrete base of the project has numerous CNC cut formwork inserts to form the all of the fixtures and the programs related to water and fire in the house.
We have begun testing ahead of construction the concrete mixtures and cnc formwork inserts. This test the H2O sink is based on two drops of water touching.