The winding approach to Henry Island Residence, through a pristine site in the San Juan Islands, leads deep into the forest before turning back toward the house. Proceeding from the darkness of the forest past two linear screen walls, visitors arrive at the center of a staggered wooden boardwalk and open foyer facing bright views of the water beyond. The boardwalk extends to each side, organizing the series of steel-framed pods gathered into two pavilions. The boardwalk is enclosed only where it slides through each pavilion, encouraging visitors to encounter the natural world more directly by experiencing the temperature, sights, and smells of the island. Sensitive use of wood, glue-laminated fir and steel – in the home’s columns and weathered screening walls – emphasize a tactile structural assembly.