This fabulous fieldhouse is part of a secluded family retreat designed by Hoedemaker Pfeiffer, nestled in a meadow on Whidbey Island, Washington. Constructed for family and friends, this structure is used for gathering, entertaining and enjoying outdoor activities.
The family wanted a secondary structure on their property for their loved ones to celebrate and relax in the beautiful countryside. Offering complete privacy, this building is set on a mainly undeveloped seven-acre site, surrounded by a meadow of native grasses, a fruit orchard, wetland ponds and a maintained field used to enjoy various outdoor sports.
Project Team: Architecture: Hoedemaker Pfeiffer | Interior Design: Hoedemaker Pfeiffer | Contractor: Joseph McKinstry Construction Company | Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget | Landscape Architect: Kenneth Philp Landscape Architects
As long time natives of the Pacific Northwest, the family wished to convey a specific sense of place and longevity. The architecture responds to those ideas in its simplicity and versatility, and in its construction from durable, local materials. Inspiration was taken from vernacular stone and timber structures built across the country in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The 1,664-square-foot structure consists of a covered outdoor patio flanked by two, offset and enclosed spaces housing a sun room and inglenook to the west, and a kitchen, grill and two bathrooms to the east. Designed to accommodate almost any situation, the Fieldhouse can shelter four as comfortably as it can 60, hosting sleepovers, family sports tournaments, reunions and outdoor dining with ease.
The structure employs a gradient of enclosure and structural qualities from the immersive intimate inglenook to the ever thinning shed roof structure, gently lifting off above the central patio. The building can be shutdown to weather storms, or opened wide to allow light, air and activity to pass through freely.
What We Love: This secluded family retreat offers a recreational structure for accommodating large groups to gather with an indoor-outdoor experience. The fieldhouse provides an opportunity for both adults and children to enjoy activities in a tranquil countryside setting. Operable glass doors enables this structure to be closed off to the elements, or opened for natural light and fresh air to be enjoyed through the seasons.
Tell Us: What do you think of this fieldhouse design, would this be your idea of the perfect countryside escape with family and friends? Please share your thoughts in the Comments below!
Note: Have a look below for the “Related” tags for more inspiring home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of the architects of this project, Hoedemaker Pfeiffer.
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The structure provides a straight-forward and visibly-constructed language of materials. It progressively lightens from a solid stone base, to thick timber columns, to pairs of rafters and thinner yet pairs of purlins, supporting the single-plane shed roof. The timber is all Douglas fir and cedar harvested and salvaged from the Pacific Northwest.
The stone is taken from a quarry on nearby Vancouver Island and the early, factory-style steel casement doors and windows are West Coast built. This timeless assembly of materials and method of construction suggest that this is a building about its surroundings and a stalwart of the region it resides in, functioning as well today as it will in 100 years.
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Above: The windows were sourced from the Torrance Steel Window Company.
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Photos: Andrew Giammarco
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