8.7.2020 | DIGS.NET 25
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buildings to "garments." If the home he designed
on the highest hill in Anchorage, Alaska, is a
"bearskin coat" for the way it is hunkered in, with
lots of closed areas and great views, for example,
then the transcendent Ohana House "feels like a
Hawaiian shirt," he says. The description fits: air
blows right through the loose-fitting, U-shaped
building, which basks in both the southern sun and
the spectacular Pacific panorama. Cutler arranged
the building to create what the firm describes as
two oceanfront terraces at its outer corners: "The
northeast terrace extends the living room outside
on calm days. The northwest terrace provides a
wind-buffered spot for alfresco dining with views
of sunset and distance Maui." Structurally, the
place is sound, anchored to the land via a base of
rock and roofs pitched to match the angle of the
hill, sheltering the courtyard.
Human need also informs Ohana House and is
found most acutely inside, where the floor plan is
a reflection of how a family organizes itself, with
both public and private zones, infused with the
striking views just beyond its vast glassy façade. As
a "garment," Ohana House is not only an exquisite
design, it is one created to wear very well, indeed.
cutler-anderson.com
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP)
OHANA HOUSE FEATURES A SERIES
OF ANGLED ROOFS; THE INTERIOR
OF THE STRUCTURE—A REFLECTION
OF HOW A FAMILY ORGANIZES
ITSELF—PUTS ONE IN PROXIMITY TO
THE LANDSCAPE WHILE PROVIDING
SHELTER FROM THE ELEMENTS THAT
HELPED INFORM IT.
