If you’re looking for a little variety while working from home, simply slide open the wood louvres of your bespoke Hawaii Residence Office Hut to reveal a glass wall, and a view directly into your koi pond just beneath. This is the quietly visionary work of Olson Kundig Architects, an addition to their Hawaii Residence, a home that seeks to be as deceptively simple as its name. This award winning Seattle firm's calling card is functional buildings that complement and take inspiration from their surroundings. Job done here? Let’s take a look.
The Hawaii Residence Office Hut doesn’t have to be an office. And to call a hand-crafted, wood-louvred retreat a hut is like calling a Porsche 911 just another sports car. Olson Kundig say this impeccably imagined addition to their existing Hawaii Residence is a logical extension of the pavilion style architecture of the original design. This approach, says designer Tom Kundig of the multiple award-winning firm, is inspired by the architecture of Polynesia, and aimed at both introspection and gaining energy from the outdoors.
So the diminutive Office Hut is designed to be just as contemplative as the pavilions which form the main home. Just because you’re tapping away at your laptop or engaging in an online meeting doesn’t mean to say that serenity shouldn’t be your primary emotion. And breathe.
The Hawaii Residence reads as a series of individual buildings, with the main living spaces sited upstairs. Lava stone grounds indoor/outdoor seating and lounging areas downstairs. A long lap pool runs under the elevated first floor. We won’t notice if you’re just idly floating rather than lapping, honest. That’s exactly what we’d be doing.
Cool on several levels
In those upstairs living areas, windows are replaced by large moveable wood louvres – echoed by those on the Office Hut – which are designed to be part of a natural climate control system. Large opening panels on the roof, measuring six by fifteen feet, help with cooling during the hottest hours. "Here, most of the home’s programme is on upper floors," says Tom Kundig, "providing residents with a big prospect view of the ocean and a protected refuge from challenging weather.”
Ground level board walks connect the various buildings - sorry, pavilions - of the Hawaii Residence at ground level. Upper walk ways connect upstairs living spaces to each other. Tired of one environment? Try another, or take refuge in the newly built Office Hut. Ferns, palm trees and other greenery surround the property, further integrating both Residence and Hut into their Hawaii environment.
We can only wish for our own Hawaii Residence Office Hut. Would we be distracted by counting the koi as they swish about their luxurious pond? Or by trying to decide whether or not to go surfing? We’re more than happy to accept any and all invitations from the owners to judge productivity gained from this inspirational design. Now how many koi are there again?
Next up: Take a look at another Olson Kundig masterpiece.
