Site | Architecture | Sustainability | Interior View
The Annex is somewhat larger than the historic building. The challenge was to avoid upstaging the landmark, a solid but rather plain vernacular structure, and still create an exciting, architecturally integrated destination - an environmental inn. The irregular shape in plan (and preserving the well-landscaped grounds) helps the Annex to downplay its bulk. The Annex also borrows the stucco, apparent width, and roof slopes of the original building. The main attractions are the courtyards, the arbor and walk which join the new and old buildings, and the timber and glass Breakfast Room with it's grand open stair.
The shape of the building in plan, and it's placement on the site responds to numerous influences: the root systems of the many mature trees on the site, the (future) rooftop solar collector orientation to the sun, and neighbors' concerns about traffic patterns and views.
Architect's Statement:
"This project is 'sustainable' because it is designed at a modest scale, for real longevity, with materials that are reused and reusable (mostly produced in the region) and designed to minimize energy use and pollution. An historic site is recycled and made economically viable again. Sustainability really means accountability to the future and to our children. I'm convinced that the best path to "sustainable design" is to learn to make places that will be loved, and so protected and taken care of."
Site | Architecture | Sustainability | Interior View
