Hypotenuse Home

Project synopsis.

Located within the heart of a dense seasonal community and steps from a recreational lake, the Hypotenuse Home is designed as a West Coast modern retirement retreat. The home was built to extend the legacy of four sisters who owned properties on the same street since the 1930’s, resulting in four generations of extended family members residing in four homes along the street. The Hypotenuse Home needed to be able to welcome the extension of many large families, prioritizing intergenerational living, and ensuring future generations of family members could age-in-place in the home. Universal access features included a main floor bedroom, zero threshold transitions throughout, and an accessible bathroom.

The form of the Hypotenuse Home innovates upon a conventional butterfly roof by bisecting the low point of the roof along its hypotenuse. The inverted valley is sloped on the diagonal to a singular point to accommodate rainwater runoff.

The upper black stained cedar volume of the home distinguishes the primary sleeping areas and floats above the main floor with large cantilevers providing sheltered areas that extend the interior spaces outside. The lower floor supports the upper volume with vertically expressed cast-in-place concrete that allows for floor to ceiling windows to welcome family into the main living area. The entire north wall of the main floor is large sliding glass doors that extend the living space to the outdoor patio.

A central interconnected volume connects all floors with a feature wood stair. On either side of the hypotenuse roof valley are operable skylights drawing light right down to the main floor while allowing heat to exhaust. The upper floor patio is wrapped in clear cedar backed by a floor-to-ceiling north facing window to allow light to enter into the interconnected space.

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