11. Lightbox, Washington, (2015) | Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
The Lightbox is a home and studio for a photographer and his young family, situated amid a forest. The client appreciates simple and unique details – all of which are reflected in the house. It is modestly sized and built with affordable materials like exposed wood two-bys, which also forms the structural system, and prefabricated aluminum window systems. The Lightbox allows the inhabitants to experience the beauty of the surroundings, and enjoy the dappled everchanging sunlight of the forest.
12. Frick Environmental Center, Pennsylvania (2016) | Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
This building is a living-learning center for experiential environmental learning, that also serves as the gateway to Pittsburg’s 644-acre Frick Park. Awarded the LEED Platinum certification, and under review for the Living Building Challenge, the Center encourages education regarding sustainability for the visitors. The Center is tucked into the sloping side of a hill and is covered by a roof supported by slender columns. The building utilizes highly insulated ‘black locust’ external cladding, roof overhangs, natural ventilation, and rainwater harvesting methods – all of which are only part of the passive strategies employed.
13. Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, California (2016) | Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
This museum is part of UC Davis’s campus and was a contractor-led design-build project. BCJ’s solution to a tight budget was a one-story high building with a dramatic canopy. The sloping canopy of white, irregular, perforated aluminum grid patterns inspired from the surrounding agricultural landscape, arcs between 34 feet and 12 feet, and is supported by white steel columns. The building’s various functions of museum, office, and classroom, are arranged in a series of separate and interconnected pavilions. The museum’s highlight is the open-air courtyard featuring mullion-free curved glass, which along with the canopy facilitates the interplay within the building of light, shadow, inside and outside.
14. House on An Isthmus, New York (2017)
This house has a unique advantage of being located on an isthmus – with views of an Estuarial bay on one side, and the Atlantic to the other. To take in the views, the house is situated parallel to the site, and to meet the coastal flooding regulations, it is elevated through a manmade ‘dune’ that allows the house to become a natural part of the landscape. It also provides the lower floors with elevated views to the Bay, and the upper floor with views of the ocean.
15. Mountain Lake Park Playground, California (2017) | Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Situated amongst mature evergreen trees and besides a lake, this renovated Playground takes advantage of the site’s topography, with three terraced play areas connected with spiraling paths and ramps. The playground is designed to be as inclusive as possible – users of all abilities and ages can and are encouraged to access and utilize all spaces.
