Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio

Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Interior Photography, Wood, Beam, DeckSooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Exterior Photography, Table, Windows, Chair, Beam, Facade, Deck, Patio, CourtyardSooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Interior Photography, Kitchen, BeamSooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows, FacadeSooke 01 House / Campos Studio - More Images+ 19

Sooke, Canada
  • Architects: Campos Studio
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1480 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2018
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Ema Peter
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Duravit, Ashley Norton, Marvin, Standing Seam
More SpecsLess Specs
Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Exterior Photography, Table, Windows, Chair, Beam, Facade, Deck, Patio, Courtyard
© Ema Peter

Text description provided by the architects. The Sooke house, made for a woman and her dog sits on a rocky knoll where the forest meets the sea. A small clearing nestled among the trees upon the knoll provides slices of ocean and mountains through the trunks of the large Pacific Northwest rainforest. These fractured and partial perceptions of the forest and its surroundings gave us the inspiration to design a house that framed discreet experiences; as a way to make present the maxim that you cannot see the forest through the trees.

Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Interior Photography, Chair, Beam, Windows, Deck
© Ema Peter

After camping on the site, the design team drew inspiration from being in the forest and eschewed the traditional impetus to place a house on the edge of the forest looking out into the ocean.  The rocky knoll at the high point of the site emerged as the natural place that organized the site. It was the place where everyone congregated to observe and socialize. Recognized as such the decision was taken to leave this area intact and envelop it with the house.

Floor plan

The forest a series of Douglas Fir, Sitka Spruce and Cedars trunks supporting their foliage high up in the air became our inspiration for the tectonic of the house. The house structure organized around one proportioned concrete column rising out of the floor mimics the trees' trunks in size and scale. This column, along with the wood stove pipe, recreate and integrate the house with the rhythm of the forest.

When one looks up from the forest floor one becomes aware of the protection provided by the large branches that spread from the trunks of the trees with the light filtering through the dense filigree of the needles. The meandering ridge beam that branches along the main space supports a thin slat wood ceiling meant to evoke the canopy of these surrounding conifers.

Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Interior Photography, Beam
© Ema Peter

The experience of the forest from the house was replicated in the house by organizing each space around a different abstracted view of the landscape. A series of forest vistas through each room present different aspects of the forest, to views of the trunks, tree canopy, shoreline, ocean, and mountains. This not only serves to recreate the all-encompassing forest experience but also to create a unique environment for each space in the house. A technique that creates a rich variety for a small house in the woods.

Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Ema Peter

Project gallery

See allShow less
About this office
Cite: "Sooke 01 House / Campos Studio" 15 Jul 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/931718/sooke-01-house-campos-studio> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.