Helby Island living is about living light. From the onset we were determined not to create a clean, overly organized house. Rather than limit freedom, the house would be instrumental in allowing its inhabitants to take unfettered advantage of the island’s environment. To that end, we sought to exploit the house’s utilitarian qualities and those blurred or stretched out moments of transition between the wilderness and the home’s interior. The entrance of the house is combined with a wet room so that you enter unclean and emerge clean within the living space.
The logical straightforwardness of the system minimizes water distribution while bringing clarity to the programmatic organization of the dwelling. At its base, the house will be anchored to the site through a minimal slab on grade foundation poured against an earth formwork . The envelope, conceived as a puffy, waterproof coat, will drape over a lightweight cage broken down to a series of galvanized steel tubes. Custom printed node connectors anchor the tubes together and allow for the attachment of the jacket’s layered waterproofing and insulation.
We set out to make a permanent home that is minimal and light weight while preserving contemporary form and building techniques – a not so permanent structure, familiar yet not easily identifiable, comfortably perched on the rugged shoreline.