We’re excited to announce that Henry Island Guesthouse was one of six honor award winners in the 2024 Residential Design Architecture Awards (RDAA). By far the RDAA’s “largest and toughest program yet,” the jury selected 25 projects out of nearly 500 entries in 11 categories, recognizing “a body of nationally significant and inspiring residential architecture.”

Through its sensitive approach to site, a compact linear form, restrained material selection, and strategies for occupant wellbeing and comfort, the project provides abundance without excess, offering guests immersion within a remarkable natural environment. Located uphill from our client’s main residence on the property, the guesthouse marks a transition from dense forest to sunlit meadow. The gently sloping site allowed us to anchor one end of the building into the earth and cantilever the other above grade, minimizing disturbance to the ground while creating a distinct character for each of the two bedrooms. Read more about the project below.

Project team members included Hoxie Huggins Construction, PCS Structural Solutions (Structural Engineer), Pacific Surveying and Engineering (Civil Engineer), Allworth Design (Landscape Architect) PanGeo (Geotechnical Engineer), San Juan Surveying, Cascadia Archaeology, and Rozewood Environmental Services (Wetlands Delineation), with photography by Aaron Leitz and Benjamin Benschneider.