The Pierre: A Breathtaking Hideaway Tucked in a Cluster of Rocks

Posted By Yuka Yoneda On November 18, 2010 @ 6:00 pm In Architecture,green roof | 3 Comments

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The Pierre is a breathtaking home tucked away in the cluster of rocks it was named after ("Pierre" means "Stone" in French). Olson Kundig Architects ^[6] designed the hideaway for the owner, who was inspired by the lovely views from the property of the archipelago of the San Juan Islands. The bunker-like villa was built using largely local materials, and its green roof and rocky color cause it to melt away into its peaceful surroundings ^[7].

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^[8]Photographs © Benjamin Benschneider/Courtesy Olson Kundig Architects

Since architect Tom Kundig designed the house to be sunken into the site ^[9], some of the existing rock had to be cut away. While the excavation process wasn’t an easy one, it came with an extra bonus for the contractors – the chipped away stone ^[10] could be re-used as aggregate to be mixed into the concrete flooring.

Unlike in most inset structures where walls are put up and the surrounding material is never seen, the natural stone ^[11] makes appearances throughout the house, adding, not subtracting from its aesthetic appeal. The fireplace hearths were carved from the existing rock and left raw as a striking contrast to the otherwise very polished accouterments.

Many of the other eye-catching features of the home are made of the rock ^[12] as well. The master bathroom’s sink is composed of water cascading into three pools of the existing stone, and a powder room off of the main space is fully carved out of rock.

+ Olson Kundig Architects ^[6]

Photographs © Benjamin Benschneider/Courtesy Olson Kundig Architects

Article printed from Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building: http://inhabitat.com

URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/the-pierre-a-breathtaking-hideaway-tucked-in-a-cluster-of-rock/

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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/the-pierre-a-breathtaking-hideaway-tucked-in-a-cluster-of-rock/

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[5]  : http://inhabitat.com/the-pierre-a-breathtaking-hideaway-tucked-in-a-cluster-of-rock/the-pierre-5/?extend=1

[6] Olson Kundig Architects: http://www.olsonkundigarchitects.com/

[7] melt away into its peaceful surroundings: http://inhabitat.com/2010/11/16/eco-longhouse-blends-into-kansas-prairie-with-green-roof/

[8] Image: http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/11/the-pierre-5.jpg

[9] sunken into the site: http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/18/6-fascinating-underground-homes-that-go-above-and-beyond/

[10] stone: http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/20/house-made-entirely-from-recycled-granite-debuts-in-milan/

[11] stone: http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/19/joshua-tree-boulder-house-is-a-study-in-stone-and-steel/

[12] rock: http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/29/stone-house-is-a-real-life-flintstones-house-real-or-fake/

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