Residential Non-ICF Construction

Location: Friday Harbor

Owner/developer: Anonymous

Project team: Lowe Construction, general and concrete contractor; Suyama Peterson Deguchi, architect; Swenson Say Faget, structural engineer; Island Concrete, ready-mix supplier

Cast-in-place concrete was used to create this 1,300-square-foot vacation home set on a rock cliff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

The home’s concrete retaining walls and floors anchor it, visually and structurally, to the landscape. It was designed to be a refuge, not only from the rigors of daily life, but from the rugged climate of its site.

All of the walls in the home were poured in place and no surface treatment was used to hide the imperfections, allowing its natural beauty to be seen on the inside and out. As the concrete ages and weathers, the true character of the house will be revealed.

A concrete terrace and reflecting pool link the house to a small concrete cube guestroom perched on the edge of the cliff. The architect suggests the guestroom is a reference to the lighthouses and concrete defense forts built on the coast during the first half of the 20th century.