Pop-Top Roof: See the Stars at the Simple Push of a Button
Olson Kundig Architects are renowned for subtle, landscape-suited works of regional architecture, but this one comes with a unique twist: an operable bathhouse roof that opens like a vertical garage (only far more elegant).
The Shadowboxx dwelling is largely compact, symmetrical and perhaps somewhat Prairie Style (and/or Japanese) in its focus on horizontals, windows and fit within its surroundings.
Situated next to the main structure is a smaller bathhouse, where an operable roof allows access to vertical views and the elements, turning it from an indoor to and outdoor space on demand.
The outdoor/indoor strategy reflects a larger concept about context, community and connection: "The building purposely confuses the traditional boundaries between a built structure and its surroundings. Its masses are modeled by winds off the water, exterior cladding is allowed to weather and rust, and shifting doors, shutters, walls and roofs constantly modulate the threshold between inside and outside."
Which is not to suggest the main volume is not modular in its own ways as well: "A glass-walled bunkroom, it contains six custom-designed rolling platforms that serve both as sofas and beds and enable the room to morph and accommodate different functions. Exterior awning shutters facing the water can be closed for protection from the elements or for security when the owner is away."
