Pupukea Beach Residence
Oahu, Hawaii
Formwork

Frames delineate family ties and views of ocean

Courtesy Formwork

For more images click on 'photos & drawings' above.

This property is located near the town of Pupukea on the North Shore of Oahu at the crest of a bluff that overlooks a beach within a marine conservation area. The beach forms part of a chain of surfing spots revered for their pristine beauty and awe-inspiring winter waves. The client and his family are active in water sports and instructed Formwork to design a home that would minimally impact beach users and would maintain a low physical profile in the conservation area. Accordingly, the architects set the house back from the shoreline and kept it to one story.

Other programmatic requirements also shaped the house’s form. The client, a retired physician from California, wanted a house that would give him and his adult children and their families enough space to maintain their own schedules and have their own place, rather than just a room that they occasionally occupy. In response, the house plan is comprised of three semi-autonomous zones in an L-shaped plan. One formal and two smaller private staircase entrances serve separate wings: one wing is for the homeowner, the other for his children. Common living spaces occupy the hinge where these wings meet.

The architects created a tension between the distinct house zones belonging to the different family members and a desire for the overall composition to hang together. Cubes containing suites are visibly distinct from one another, yet bound together with boxes and frames. The frames channel views outward, while the boxes shield and create privacy; like the family, they comprise a collection of related individual entities.

Red steel members supported on concrete footings will comprise the primary structure, which the architects preferred over wood framing because it allows for more plumb dimensions. Light gauge metal walls, with plywood sheathing for strength in shear, will be used for infill. To preserve clarity of these forms, the finishes will remain texturally neutral, although windows and doors will be framed in Alaskan yellow cedar. On the ocean-facing elevation, walls not constructed of glass will be clad in a luminous matte zinc.

The project is temporarily on hold.

Formal name of building:
Pupukea Beach Residence

Location:
Oahu, Hawaii

Gross square footage:
3,500 sq. ft.

Total construction costwner:
$1.4 Million

Architect:
Formwork
Fritz Johnson, AIA
95-181 Wainaku Place
Mililani, HI 96789
808-282-6685 tel.
808-625-7160 fax
info@formwork.cc
www.formwork.cc

Principal in charge: Fritz Johnson, AIA

Photographer(s) / Renderer(s)
Formwork

CAD system, project management, or other software used
Maxwell Render system, www.maxwellrender.com, Revit

Structural system
Steel frame, lite-gauge metal infill

Exterior cladding
Metal/glass curtainwall: VM Zinc www.vmzinc-us.com
Concrete: Cast-in-place architectural concrete
Wood: Alaskan yellow cedar
EIFS, ACM, or other: Sto www.stocorp.com

Roofing
Built-up roofing: Brai www.brai.it

Windows
Wood: Alaskan yellow cedar www.dynamicwindows.com

Doors
Entrances: Alaskan yellow cedar www.dynamicwindows.com
Sliding doors: Alaskan yellow cedar www.dynamicwindows.com