The Olalla Pavilion is architecture created from necessity; a more-permanent solution to provide a single family, spanning three generations, a space for gathering, cooking and eating, entertaining, reading, or any ad interim program contingent on the user(s), season, event, or time of day.

The few parameters established prior to cogitation each created a wonderfully unique opportunity that would, inherently, incorporate the sentiment of the owners into the project and allow the structure to foment naturally into the site’s history. In particular, budgetary constraints ultimately begat a more meaningful project; labor, which is typically the largest expense of any project, was removed from consideration as the owners (1) had only ever wanted to execute this project themselves, (2) are particularly crafty and already possessed all the resources required to execute complex details, and (3) already owned all the materials used in the design and, in fact, made it a requirement that the structure be built with only repurposed and/or reused materials. The form and location of the structure was only established after deciphering the aforementioned items. The natural arrangement of Alder trees and the extent of their canopies palpably identified the future structure’s location; Using recycled materials required a cohesive understanding of their properties and capabilities, then finding the balance of the material size and shapes; The linear, east-west orientation of the structure leverages the existing pond and stream as additional boundaries, separating the area without actually disconnecting it from the greater site; The shape of the boundaries also establishes a hierarchy of the fire location - an essential element that provides security and promotes gathering, projects its own colors and sounds and smells and warmth, and deserves to be treated like a living thing; The responsive boundary comes in the form of a natural garden and only local flora - selected by their resilience and complimentary blooming sequences - that are capable of forming a feeling of contemplation and providing a natural atmosphere that a built thing cannot. A garden that, in time, will attract new insects and birds. A garden that could appear spontaneous, but never out of control. Considering the demands and opportunities of changing seasons or programmatic requirements, value is created in what would appear as the emptiness of the structure, for it is the emptiness that allows the ideal use to be determined.