A delightful essay on the notion that there is no bad weather, just bad clothes, Oregon Coast Beach House embraces the elements that make this a powerful place. Fierce storms bring 27-foot waves, salt spray, and high winds that literally sandblast the house. “Storms pick up sand and throw it at the house, so I decided I would design it like it was a tank,” Jim says. The low-slung box has no eaves for water to penetrate, and its cladding materials—rough, tight-knot western red cedar amplified by a smooth, high-rise structural glass curtain wall—ensure maximum durability. That wall, which faces west toward the ocean, is an inch thick and reinforced with bronze mullions that resist corrosion and high winds.
At the entrance, an elevated, 50-foot-long CLT-covered walkway crosses an interior courtyard that provides outdoor privacy while connecting the occupants to the fresh air and ocean sounds. It joins two bar-shaped volumes—one containing the garage and two guest suites along the street, and the other housing the main living spaces and primary bedroom, allowing the guest rooms to be left unheated when not in use. Insulated concrete floors release heat from the sun for much of the year. The judges praised the rigorous design and choice of materials. “It still feels beachy despite the glass curtain wall,” they said.
Citation
Custom Rural or Vacation House
Cutler Anderson Architects
Oregon Beach House
Bandon, Oregon
Project Credits
Architect: James Cutler, FAIA, Cutler Anderson Architects, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Builder: Tom Harmon, Harmon Construction, Coos Bay, Oregon
Interior designer: Beth Wheeler, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Landscape architect: Geoffrey Smith, By-the-Sea Gardens, Bandon, Oregon
Engineer: Jerome Madden, Madden & Baughman Engineering, Portland, Oregon
Project size: 2,447 square feet
Site size: 0.41 acre
Construction cost: Withheld
Photography: Jeremy Bittermann Photography
Key Products
Cabinetry: Korben Mathis Woodworking
Cladding: Tight-knot cedar, Conrad Lumber
Cooktop/ovens: Bosch
Countertops: Costa Esmeralda stone
Engineered lumber: CLT by Johnson Lumber
Entry doors: Simpson Doors (Cutler Anderson design)
Fireplace: Stûv 30
Furniture: West Elm, Blu Dot
Hardware: Reveal Designs (Cutler Anderson design), Häfele
Refrigerator: Thermador
Windows: Jeld-Wen
Window wall systems: Kawneer