A Japanese-style garden outbuilding for a Portland, Oregon, residence, designed as the centerpiece of the client's garden and built around classic proportions and a soaking tub.
Design and Construction
From the Ground Up
The building elevated visitors a step above the walking path and garden. Its floor had a solid feel, with 12-inch floorboards on 10-inch joists fastened to cast-in-place concrete walls. The design also met a multiuse need by setting a soaking tub flush with the floor; removable flooring covered the tub when it was not in use.
Because stone, timber, and Japanese carpentry were unavailable, the design approximated the simple lines and exposed wood of a handcrafted timber structure with select-grade dimensional lumber and MDO plywood. For strength, steel reinforcing was concealed within the wall panels. This allowed an interior filled with daylight through glass on four walls and two trolley-style sliding doors.
The design continued the wood theme upward with exposed headers, rafters, and split cedar-shake roofing. Openings at either end of the roof ridge vented warm, moist air from the building. Sheet-metal ridge caps, gutters, and upside-down stirrups protected exposed wood from the weather while providing simple ornamentation.
Responsibilities
The work included building design and contract documents in an 8.5-by-11-inch format to ease homeowner implementation.