Gosline House

The Gosline Residence stretches along a narrow sloping site pitching toward views of an arboretum and the distant Cascade Mountains. The building is positioned to preserve two major trees, a madrona and a large Deodar cedar.

The owners of this small house, a retired software developer turned African botanist, and a mental health chaplain, were particularly open-minded and enthusiastic about encouraging an architecture that would reveal both the natural qualities of its urban landscape and the nature and assembly of its basic building materials. The entry sequence draws one to a tall living space overlooking the sunlit arboretum landscape.

A spine of steel channels and columns extends the entire length of the house projecting through its face to support two private decks. Wood studs are often left exposed or are revealed behind plywood panels. Screens of cedar framing and polycarbonate glazing stretch along the edges of the carport, extending into the building and, combined with the steel spine, pull one inside and through to the long views. A tracery of horizontal flashing bands and fasteners pattern the house's exterior skin.

Thought of as a Pacific Northwest 'Case Study House', the Gosline Residence reveals the particular nature of its site, its owners, and the materials with which it is made.