The elegant Long Residence embodies Cutler

By Victoria Medgyesi

If architect James Cutler, FAIA, had his way, Orcas Island would be
nothing but blue and green—at least as seen from the air.
Cruising by helicopter over one of the most serene spots in the
Pacific Northwest’s San Juan Island chain, he managed to get his
message across despite the ear-splitting noise. “Look,” he shouted, as we
passed over a recently completed project. “Isn’t that great? You can barely
see the place at all.”
Honoring geographic conditions, responding to the integrity of
natural materials, and staying true to a romantic vision have long formed
the philosophic backbone of Cutler Anderson Architects. The firm’s
ability to translate that philosophy into sophisticated expressions of individuality
was what brought one couple to Cutler’s door.
Their site was steep but buildable, lush with second-growth
forest, and in possession of a sweeping view that overlooked a wide saltwater
channel and nearby Shaw Island. Just as fortuitous, says Cutler, was
the couple’s playful, experimental streak, which he shares. It was this set
of particulars and the relatively simple programmatic desires of the
client—a serious kitchen, truly private spaces, room for family gatherings—
that shaped the design of the vacation retreat.
Responding to the steep, wooded site, Cutler supported the
house on 18 sets of peeled-wood tripods engineered to provide enough
lateral stability to dispense with conventional shear elements. The tripods
were attached to western red cedar log beams by concealed steel plates
and bolts. Each was then visually punched through the floor and
extended down to a steel connection at the footing. A system of rafters
graduated in size relative to span resists the pull of gravity.
Cutler wrapped the building’s system of wooden bones in an
exterior skin of glass, aluminum, and cedar shingle. He then topped the

LIKE GOLDSWORTHY’S SCULPTURE,
CUTLER’S WORK MAKES A STRONG
STATEMENT ABOUT NATURE AND STRUCTURE.

shell with a layer of two-by-six spacers that support a large overhanging
metal roof and create an insulated cavity below it. Given the clients’
emphasis on privacy, the shed roof serves to visually insulate the structure
from the road above.
Each room in the 2,035-square-foot house opens to the expansive
cedar terrace through a set of 8-by-6-foot, custom sliding doors,
providing multifaceted views to all the interior spaces. A corridor running
the full length of the uphill side of the house provides access to all
of the rooms—the main living area, bedroom suite, guest room, and
two full baths.
Visitors to the house get their first peek of the building’s distinctive
wood tripods through low-to-the-ground windows along the
uphill entry side. The structural elements reach their full 15-foot-high
glory along the glass curtain wall facing the view. As was Cutler’s intention,
the tripods refer to the trees on the other side of the glass—an
idea inspired by Scottish sculptor Andy Goldsworthy’s installations
involving fallen trees.
Cutler credits his contractor, Lowell Alford, for executing an
unorthodox design that combines sophisticated engineering with
ancient materials. Alford even harvested the logs from land owned by
his father and hired a team of high school students to peel the logs prior
to off-site assembly.
Like Goldsworthy’s sculpture, Cutler’s work makes a strong
statement about nature and structure. It’s a soft/hard balance echoed in
the muted beech-wood floors, the whitewashed pine walls, and the clean
lines of the custom wood furniture and cabinetry, much of which was
designed by Cutler himself.