on the region's architecture.… This is not the climate for loud and glamorous architecture.” “A natural environment of this magnificence and grandeur has had a humbling impact PacificThe North Province Chapter 4.7 —Douglas Kelbaugh

NORTH PACIFIC North Pacific

180 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE and some of the world’s largest trees. Vivid life, including a rare temperate-zone rainforest intense precipitation fosters lush, dense plant 26 feet of snow. The annually; others up to than 100 inches of rain Some areas receive more inseparable elements. forces, and landscape are movement, and tidal surges. Climate, maritime being shaped by volcanoes, glaciers, seismic nearly tamed by human settlement. It is still The landscape has been altered but not called Cascadian. architectural style celebrated through a regional elements are frequently cultural influences. These and climate diverse dramatic landscapes This is a land of region of Alaska. the coastal and and Washington, western Oregon California, north- areas in northern forests and scenic the national Province includes PacificThe North NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS AND NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE CHARACTER BUILT OF THE OVERVIEW: parkways, and buildings of the Columbia River of this landscape. The bridges,a richness worthy Forest Pacific design in the North Service includes Dungeness Spit (15 inches). coastal spot, is a day’s hike from its driest inches per year) Olympic Range (240 point in the province’s rainiest contrasts are everywhere. The RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE that match the grandeur of their settings. three examples of Forest structures Service only Visitor Center at Mendenhall Glacier are the Gorge, the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, and

181 NORTH PACIFIC INFLUENCES ON ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL and west in the Chugach National Forest, the land “The great trees are seldom crowded, and their masses are constantly columnar trunks may rise dozens of feet skyward shifting in a landscape before the first branches appear. …The space dominated by glaciers. beneath may be open enough that light filtered Broad valleys contain filled- through the upper branches is diffused to create in fiords that have become a softly luminous glow throughout. The effect is marshlands bisected by not one of gloom, but of solemnity.” glacially fed rivers. The —Stephen Whitney, Western Forests archipelago of coastal islands is Literature about the North Pacific consistently foggy, heavily forested, and separated by sounds such themes as reverence for nature and deep channels. Throughout Alaska, the a strong desire to harmonize with the setting. landscape, sky, light, and water reflect the colors Perhaps this is because the province possesses of glacial blue, of gray fog, and of white winter. For among them. The Cascades are such a wild and grand scale. People have a front a brief burst in summer, wildflowers alter the a place with abundant rivers, streams, and row seat on major ecological processes. Glaciers, landscape with an explosion of color. waterfalls. The west side comes in many shades rivers that change course, volcanoes, and of green dictated by ferns, mosses, and big trees The most visible geology results from angular earthquakes shape a young landscape that that stay green through the year. High rainfall forms of graywacke shale. Even at lower elevations, seems only recently emerged from the primeval intensifies colors in the landscape. trees cover the landscape only in patches. The era. West of the Cascades, the maritime climate treeline can occur as low as 1,500 feet. East of the Cascades is much drier with sparse creates moderate temperatures and high vegetation. Rolling hills and high prairies are The Cascade and Klamath ranges of Washington, precipitation. This maritime influence sends punctuated by volcanic cones. Space between Oregon, and northern California are extremely storms from the west to the east. trees seems open and expansive with long vistas. rugged, with large mountains dominated by volcanic In Alaska, the steep mountains of the Tongass The landscape is generally rural rather than peaks and deep, heavy snows at higher elevations. National Forest collide with the ocean. Inland wilderness with irrigated fields, pasture, orchards, Some of the world’s largest and oldest trees live are glacially carved valleys, lakes, and waterfalls. and rangeland. Colors are warm with pastel hues within this lush, cool coniferous forest: Douglas fir, The Coast Range meets a sea dotted with varied by the rock and soil visible through the Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and coast redwood tidewater glaciers and islands. Farther north vegetation. Shades of dark gray, dark brown, and

182 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE English, Germans), trading posts (French), and farming. They built farmhouses (Scandinavians, built log structures, often using trees cleared for European Settlers: built related types of “hooped branch” houses. California, the Umpqua, Chetco, Yurok, and Hoopa Tillimook. In southern Oregon and northern or shed-roofed long houses, as among the plank walls, as among the Quinault in Washington, might be a gable-roofed long house with vertical sides of living trees. The large communal dwelling from driftwood logs or sometimes split from the In the coastal zone, houses were made of planks own adaptations. Basin, the inhabitants of each area made their Columbia River plateau, and within the Great precipitation. Along the Pacific coast, on the American inhabitants built to deal with Native American Design: C to bristlecone pine. sequoia in the high mountains to California red fir are extremely diverse. Species range from giant by long summer droughts and mild wet winters, Sierra Nevadas. Here coniferous forests, shaped subarea of this province embracing the northern centralNorth California includes the Mediterranean lodgepole pine, and sugar pine. basalt. Signature trees include ponderosa pine, black are evident in rock formations of columnar ULTURAL The first European settlers The original Native Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. In the late stations, facilities built along the and comfort notable example is the shelters, pavilions, way and a high level of craft into public works. A The CCC of the 1930’s incorporated rustic design then being constructed in the Adirondacks. Mt. Hood, perhaps inspired by rustic buildings example is the Cloud Cap Inn, a hikers’ lodge on on the rustic design called Cascadian. An early designers created variation a Northwestern and Rustic: and tenon joints.made mortice frame construction held together by skillfully use since medieval times: heavily timbered in picturesque barns employed building techniques many contemporary architects and artists. These traditional Willamette Valley barns have inspired Agricultural Structures: churches endure along coastal Alaska. logs locked in dovetail joints. Onion-dome Russian (Russian). They typically used broad-hewn forts From about 1890 to 1940, architects The simple forms of RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE anoff windows. More recent architects skillfully rain and by including broad roof overhangs to keep by using wood as a structuralNorthwest material Valley. They adapted their buildings to the churches inspired by barns of Oregon’s Willamette Pietro Belluschi and John Yeon designed modernist variations. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, architects International style. responded The Northwest with aimed to create a worldwide design—the so-called Modernism: Northwest on steep slopes straight up from the waterfront. typically feature brightly colored cottages rising somewhat unique to Alaska. These villages Coastal fishing villages are a building type Sitka, to industrial oil terminals and canneries. the Aleutian Islands, to the Russian churches of Alaskan design ranges from the Quonset huts of designed for access by boat or float plane. Alaska: masons, carpenters, sculptors, and artisans. of and Crafts extravaganza that employed scores 1930’s, the WPA built Timberline Lodge, an Arts meld natural and industrial materials suggesting that modern design can be contemporary in Many Alaskan buildings and sites were spirit, massive in scale for durability’s sake, to the and yet comforting human touch and scale. The Modernist movement

183 NORTH PACIFIC SUMMARY OF INFLUENCES AND RESPONSES THAT SHAPE THE CHARACTER OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES • Moist, cool climate with lots of rain, fog, mist, • Declination of the sun and snow. that creates radical • Temperate maritime climate. angles of light. • In California, hot climate with Mediterranean • Long vistas with influence and design responses similar to the snow-capped Southwest Province. volcanic peaks. • Rugged terrain with many rock outcrops and • Sunlight that has lava flows. become important, • Volcanoes, glaciers, and earthquakes that even revered, when it are still shaping a young landscape with appears because of sharp peaks and massive landforms. prevalent gray skies • Prevailing winds from the west, and short winter days. with highs from the northwest and lows from the southwest. • Lush, dense vegetation that is green year-round. • Forests that are largely coniferous and contain the world’s largest and oldest trees. • Water elements, including lakes, rivers, fiords, and waterfalls, that are prevalent and of a large scale. • Much landscape that occupies the edge between ocean and land—a magnet for diversity of people and wildlife.

184 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Timber industry remains cultural a powerful • Wood is lavishly used in buildings. • Scandinavian influence is seen in log cabins and • Asian influence is seen in low structures with • Culture is incorporated of totemic art into • Native influence is seen in such structures as • Russian influence is seen in remaining forts • C ULTURAL force and shaper of the landscape. shutters. decorated frame houses with cutout details in expanses of windows. expressed post-and-beam structure and large CCC-era buildings in Alaska. aqua, and black. construction that sheds rain. Colors are red, the long house, with few windows and planked onion-dome churches. and I NFLUENCES CCC-“Cascadian” long house Native American RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE maritime Alaskan

185 NORTH PACIFIC Northwest North Pacific modernism

Scandinavian log

186 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Manage vegetation near structures; plantings • Shield structures with plantings on the • Site to catch the breezes necessary to • Make work complexes into building • Place structures at the edge of existing • S and imagination.” eye subtlety of design that stimulate the human intense use, and yet possessing a finish and construction durable enough to survive years of trees and the masses of mountains, of a scale appropriate scale of the to the powerful a “The public architecture of the forest can be of ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE ITING a eoeoegonadbokviews. can become overgrown and block wind. intense and west sides in areas with north mitigate the bug problem in Alaska. connected by covered walkways. compounds needed seasonally. as creates for sun and shade opportunities avoids the need to clearings. This preserves views and habitat, —Leland M. Roth, architectural historian clear vegetation, and Place buildings • Preserve views • to landscape features: subordinate be should improvements Facilities and away from views RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE wildlife migration zones away from riparian and Buildings concentrated

187 NORTH PACIFIC South

Existing opening

Building compound: Covered walkway between buildings

Landscape buffer Buildings carefully placed within edges of clearings

Building Riparian Zone Zone

188 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Use building materials in scale (for example, • Diminish apparent mass of larger buildings by • M SIGAND ASSING oversized stone and timbers) in massive forests. structures. creating wings or compounds of connected Appropriate mass of building elements in rugged terrain Building’s mass should be a collection of smaller elements S CALE RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Lesser-scale landscape dictates smaller scale and massing Massive scale landscape allows larger, more massive buildings the scale of their surroundings: Buildings should complement

189 NORTH PACIFIC BASE • Complement the province’s dramatic landscape while reducing wear and tear on buildings by using a strong stone base. The base should appear anchored to the ground and comprise a major portion of the wall. • Use battered stone rock when possible (although good-quality building stone may not be available in Alaska). • “Float” buildings and pathways over landscape on pilings or piers in tidal zones and other wet areas. Appropriate sign base Inappropriate sign base • Use a concrete base if it is skillfully textured and colored.

Base used to protect wall from snow Strong, battered stone base

190 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Use both vertical and horizontal wall textures; • Design walls that appear to be growing from • W however, do not mix within one wall. the ground. ALLS A building’s wall should be smaller than its base and roof RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE

191 NORTH PACIFIC WINDOWS AND OPENINGS • Make windows large to take in views, warmth, and precious sunlight. • Protect entrances from driving rain and snow by including porches and vestibules when possible. Particularly in Alaska, a vestibule provides a valuable airlock and a place to remove rain gear, to stack firewood, or to let dogs sleep. An arctic variation turns the entry 90 degrees from the building to keep the indoors warm and dry. • Avoid extensive horizontal bands of windows. • Follow historical precedent and scale by using Airlock vestibule, especially divided-pane windows. appropriate in Alaska • Do not place windows in corners. • Minimize northside entries and maximize • Windows should be maximized, especially south and southeast southside entries. • Windows to the north should be • Keep overhangs shorter on south side of minimized building to maximize daylighting. • Use gable-end entries, but leave gables open to bring light into building.

Protected entries:

Extruded gable porch Continuous eave porch Added gable porch Covered entry porch

192 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Avoid multiple roof forms that may shed snow • overhangs Use a steeper pitch with shorter in • Use gutters in rainy maritime climate but not • Avoid use of flat roofs and gambrel roofs. • Use hip roofs for coastal areas or as shelters. • Use gable and shed roof types if desired. • Keep roof shapes simple. Complex shapes • Design roof pitch to range from 6:12 to 12:12; • Design the roof so that it dominates the • R OOFS onto other roofs. areas with heavy snows. in heavy snow areas. maintenance problems. create “valleys” that trap snow, creating use lower pitches in warm California climates. California climates. architectural composition, except in warm Roofs should dominate the building Simple hipped roof Unprotected atrtails rafter RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Eave soffits Cover tails rafter

193 NORTH PACIFIC • Keep gables open to bring in sunlight. • Use shed or gable type dormers. • Use eaves that have heavy bargeboards. • Expose rafters, but protect rafter tails from the elements by not extending them beyond the roofing. • Avoid skylights when possible, or place them near the ridgeline.

Multiple roofs

Maritime Coastal Mountain Eastern

Rain: Gutters, less Snow: Steep pitch, Sun: Overhangs on pitch, broad overhangs less overhangs, south and west for no gutters shading

194 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Avoid lightweight, flimsy tables and site • Use exposed structure, such as trusses and • Design structure to look solid and substantial. • S TRUCTURE furnishings. post-and-beam, for both interior and exterior. Exposed substantial structure Assemble natural, not overly refined materials Steps and site wall Avoid slate or Spanish-tile roofs. • Avoid intrinsically bright, shiny, light-colored • Use patterned asphalt shingles. • Use standing-seam metal and “oxidizing” steel • Use cedar shakes; however, they may be • Roof Materials: Match the texture of materials to the scale • Celebrate the use of wood as a symbol and • M ATERIALS roof material. roofs in dark tones. difficult to obtain and maintain. or massive timbers. boulders texture of grass and sand; do not use settings, use narrow siding to match the the setting. For example, in beachfront of most significant resource of the province. the RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE increase massive expression Cluster members together to Feature existing natural materials

195 NORTH PACIFIC COLOR SUSTAINABILITY

• Emphasize muted earth tones such as beige, • Celebrate, but do not overuse, wood; especially brown, tan, and ochre. avoid scarce species or sizes. • Keep values in the medium range in response to • Employ daylighting to bring natural light into gray skies in northern areas. buildings. • Use darker values in southern areas. • Use hyperinsulation in Alaska and other cold • Use turquoise in Alaska as it reflects the color climes. of water, ice, and snow. Native American accent • See the “Common Principles” section in the colors are aqua, red, and black. introduction of this chapter for more • Use weathered blue and gray colors to match recommendations on sustainability. the fog and gray sky in seaside settings. Ground- • Make urban structures more colorful with coupled heat pastels and strong accent colors for trim. pump: draw • Avoid dark colors indoors. Make interiors light warmth from and reflective to create a light, airy the Earth in environment. winter; deposit • Use dark colors for metal roofs—green, black, warmth in or brown, or dark blue in maritime areas. summer

Vent space

Insulation Insulation should be maximized and a “cold roof” created in Alaska and higher elevations

196 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE topography, vegetation, and building practices. respect for the place that honors local climate, merely repeat historical precedent. It expresses dominate nature. Successful design does not waterfronts. In this province, culture does not of lumber mills, fish canneries, and working ethnic designs, as well as the industrial designs traditions of Cascadian, Native American, and PacificThe North Province draws upon the rich SYNTHESIS • Rough hewn timbers • Use of heavy characteristics: Water fountain • Windows maximized • Strong base • Simple, dominant roof Interpretive facility characteristics: RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE Bench with a massive feel

197 NORTH PACIFIC Restroom characteristics: • Stone base on walls and columns • Heavy timbers, clustered

Multifunctional building characteristics: • Stone base • Heavy, rough-hewn timbers

198 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE • Accessible planks 3–4" thick • Use of heavy Table characteristics: • Base is expressed • Dormer for daylighting • Simple forms, dominant roof Maintenance shop characteristics: RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE

199 NORTH PACIFIC Site wall with path characteristics: • Rustic, not too refined • Slope stabilization to safety barrier

200 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE • Paired, divided pane windows • Stone base • Dominant roof Multiuse compound characteristics: RHTCUA UDLNSFRTENRHPCFCPOIC 4.7 ARCHITECTURAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NORTH PACIFIC PROVINCE

201 NORTH PACIFIC