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Hut House
Hut House

Hut House

Kauai - Hawaii

After many years of owning a small house retreat on the tropical North Shore of Kauai, a 3-acre hilltop site near Kalihiwai Bay was acquired with the intent of creating a residence that complimented the powerful landscape and history of the island, and the contemporary aesthetic interests of the owner and architect. The owner desired to build a residence where she would move to fully embrace the land, natural climate, Hawaiian traditions, as well as her passions such as art and music. A closely collabo- rative process between the owner and Architect resulted in 2 years of intensive design research and time on the site to develop the form and function of the house that is a complete reflection of the Client’s desired way to live and new architectural approaches. Designed for the tropical climate of the Kauai North Shore, one of the wettest places on earth by annual rainfall, the house embraces the notion of indoor/outdoor living by creating an equal amount of insulated indoor spaces and sheltered outdoor spaces in a singular footprint. For the inner courtyard, the designer selected a series of fired clay boulders, K- Series , in white an grey shades and two U-shaped urns – each placed in the corners and surrounded with dark pebbles. Johnston Marklee’s diverse portfolio, led by principals Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, is unified by a singular conceptual approach to each project where the relationship between design and building technology are explored to create unique works of architecture. The work of Johnston Marklee is recognized internationally for its engage- ment with contemporary art practices while being deeply rooted in the history and foundations of the discipline. The firm draws upon an extensive network of collaborators in related fields, including contemporary artists, graphic designers, writers, and photographers to broaden the breadth of design research. Johnston Marklee has a varied architec- tural portfolio including residential, retail, commercial, hospitality, and institutional projects, with a particular focus to the arts. Current projects include the new Menil Drawing Institute in Houston, the renovation to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the Solo House in Spain.