HIX2ndEdition

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John Hix Architect Ltd.5831 6th Line RR3

Tottenham, Ontario, L0G 1W0www.johnhixarchitect.comwww.hixislandhouse.com

Introduction

Alpha House

Quetico Park Visitors’ PavilionMinistry of Tourism and Natural Resources

Quetico Centre

Environmental Learning CentreNottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority

John Hix Conservation Administration CentreNottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority

Pondo

“Kikindewin” central facility Camp PineCrestYMCA of Greater Toronto

“Shower Fort” Camp PineCrestYMCA of Greater Toronto

Longhouse

Muskoka Cottage

Country House

Architectural Studio

Casa TriangularCasa RedondaCasa RectangularPoolLa CasonaCasa SolarisLa Casita

Post Script Survival on Garibaldi:A Shelter Formed by the Forces of Nature

Resumé

CANADA

WARM CLIMATEARCHITECTURE HIX

ISLAND HOUSE

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Casa Uva del Mar, Vieques P.R.Off Grid House, Vieques P.R.Casa Monte Brisas, Vieques P.R.Casa and Tower, Vieques P.R.Waterfall House, Vieques P.R.Ramp House, Vieques P.R.Bahama Longhouse, Gt. Harbour CayDesert House, Palm Desert, CaliforniaWork In ProgressPin stripe Mississippi River House, Clayton, IowaCasa Maaskant, St. LuciaCasa Chaviano Childers, Vieques P.R.Casa Bickford, Vieques, P.R.

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The indigenous Bavarian Black Forest and Swiss chalets arefascinating because they have survived as a logical farm form ina climate similar to ours in northern America.

Everything is in one very large farm building. Largeness takesadvantage of a small surface-area to volume ratio as explainedby D’Arcy Thompson, “the larger an animal, the smaller thesurface/volume ratio and the heat loss”. The chalet is compactand does not sprawl on the valuable land, freed for foodproduction.

It is built into the mountain slope, the hay loft at grade at theback, the animal stalls at grade at the front, and the family livingon mid-levels between. The farmer enjoys the force of gravity;hay is brought down from the upper fields and stored in the loftabove the family a natural insulation. It is dropped in specialchutes through the living levels to the animals below. Duringwinter, heat from the animals warms the floors. Valuable manureis recycled to the vegetable gardens on level with the animals.The simple shaped roof is large, steep, shedding snow and rainlike a hen over a nest. A grand overhang shelters the multi-storey south facade of windows and balconies from snow andwind. Stained dark brown to absorb Sun, it is brighter in the lowwinter Sun at noon than during summer. The south facade is aSun trap, a vertical microclimate for drying clothes, plant startsand enjoying a sunny lunch. Farm life is made easier by theconfiguration of this indigenous architecture, improved throughempiricism and time. Hix

Alpha HouseNew Tecumseth

Ontario

Climate design, energy efficiency and our integral life with nature arepreoccupations of John Hix. His upbringing in rural Iowa, his studiesunder Louis Kahn, and his own seminal work The Glass House* haveformed the basis of his pursuit for a balanced meeting of the naturalenvironment and the protective environment which buildings are requiredto provide. Since 1973, Hix has been refining the interaction betweenhis structures and the forces of nature to produce milestones insustainable building and community design. His development in thisprocess has been analogous to biologist D’arcy Thompson’s descriptionsin On Growth and Form which explain how subtle environmental forcesfound in nature cause natural phenomena (plants, cells and animals) tobe what they are through evolution and natural selection-the survival ofthe fittest. Hix argues that our own habitats, buildings and developmentsshould be strongly influenced by these forces in nature.

Hix draws heavily from the lessons of vernacular buildings in the regionin which he is designing, as well as from other countries having similarclimatic conditions. Hix’s own two homes, Alpha House in Ontario andLa Casona on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, demonstrate this designapproach in two very different climatic environments.

Alpha House, the first double-envelope solar house in Canada, respondsto its Ontario climate by combining the lessons of local vernacularbuildings with those of traditional Bavarian farmhouses to create acontemporary, regionally and climatically responsive architecture. Byburying its back into a south-facing mountain slope, the Bavarianfarmhouse is sheltered from cold winter winds, while its southern facadeopens to the warmth of the sun. Its living quarters are contained betweenthe insulation of the hay loft above and the rising warmth of the livestockbelow. Alpha’s living quarters are contained within a layer of solar-heated, circulating air, protected from cold, northern winds by being half-buried underground. The above ground portion of this northern facadeparallels the vernacular additions and modifications to its neighbouringcentury-old farmhouses. Unheated accessory spaces such as toolrooms,wood storage, garage and entry vestibule act as protective buffers to thewinter cold.

“I saw many huts in Africa. They were all alike and they all worked. There was noarchitect. I came back with the impression of how clever was man who solved the prob-lems of sun, rain, and wind.” Louis Kahn

*The Glass House is a three-hundred year history ofhorticultural environment written during Hix’s teachingyears at Cambridge University, G.B.Phaidon Press, 1972, Revised in color edition, 1996.

The traditional Ontario farmhouse is also a compact cube butwith protective porches around. It is a study in efficient energyuse and environmental control. An unheated wood/food storageshed attached on the north is a summer kitchen and protects thehouse from cold prevailing north winds in winter. In summer,the cast iron kitchen stove was carried out into this shed and setup near the stored wood where garden canning and daily cookingheat could not enter the house. When the cook-stove was movedback and centered in the large farm kitchen in September, itbecame the true living room, one side for cooking and the otherfor the dining table and the sofa. It was the only room that washeated and it was filled with wonderful aromas. The heat fromcooking was not wasted, holes with simple control dampers werecut into the ceiling to heat the rooms above and the radiant stoveflue always passed up through the parents’ bedroom, thechildren huddled under their down-filled comforters and quilts.The cookstove remained lit throughout the winter as the subtleart of wood stocking and dampering was perfected. The parlourand formal dining room remained cold, heated only on specialoccasions after Sunday church and on holidays.

In the heat of summer, the central hall, with a front and backdoor and upper windows, served for cross ventilation. Withbedroom doors left open, the house captured breezes from alldirections. The windows were screened and open, the cardinalwas the first to sing and the dawn chorus began another day.Summer, markedly different from winter, life in this house wasan experience of seasonal rhythm. Hix

Casa TriangularHix Island HouseVieques, Puerto Rico

In the temperate climate of Vieques, Puerto Rico, the lofts at Hix IslandHouse Hotel maximize the potential openness offered by the localconcrete building methods to free themselves from the need ofmechanical cooling. Unencumbered by glass or insect screens, theycapture and delicately controls the cooling Caribbean trade winds. Withtheir expansive views and cool interiors defined by the mass of theconcrete structure, the lofts evoke memories of humankind’s earliest rockcave shelters. They prove at once to be the antithesis and the siblings ofAlpha House through their stringent response to climate andenvironmental forces.

Hix realizes that the interface between the uncontrolled naturalenvironment and the controlled habitated environment in indigenousbuildings evolved, like nature, through rational selection. Hisunderstanding of the mechanisms between these two environments formsthe basis of his contemporary design philosophy: the amalgamationprovides an intimate relationship between the building’s inhabitants andthe natural world around them. James Campbell and Vaike Ruus

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“When I design a building’s skin, I consider the forces inthe natural environment which when fully understood cancontribute to comfort. The envelope can be made toadmit solar heat, fresh air, cooling breezes, humidity, andnatural light. Mechanical systems are called upon onlywhen the internal environment cannot be temperednaturally by the skin. I have learned that the house doesnot contain the machine but that the house is themachine.” Hix

“We need not return to the log cabin, sod hut, or gardeners’cold frame, rather these should be analyzed for the forcesthat play on them which are the same forces we deal withtoday in our quest to find an appropriate regional spiritand indigenous continuum with the past.” Hix

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How it WorksAlpha house is simply a “house within a house”. The south wall of the inner house is protected by atwo storey high glazed sunroom. The north wall is a well insulated double-wall construction. The eastand west walls are not double but are heavily insulated. Thus, four of the house’s six faces (north andsouth walls, floor and roof ) are double-skinned. The glass sunroom collects solar energy on a sunnywinter day. Beneath the house is a large earth crawl space or basement, heavily insulated on theoutside. When the temperature in the sunroom is higher than the temperature in the crawl space, afan actuates and circulates this warm air acrossthe attic and down the double back wall to thecrawl space where it is stored in the masonryand floor.

At sunset, the sunroom temperature drops, thefan turns off, and warmer air from the earth risesand encloses the inner house. Though thesunroom has fluctuating temperatures from dayto night, the inner house maintains a stabletemperature. Back-up heating is provided witha small propane trailer furnace and thefireplace. The double skin insures there are nodrafts and it is very quiet; you can see anairplane flying but you cannot hear it.

In the summer heat, the angle of the sun issteep and never enters the inner house. Thehouse remains pleasantly cool because twovents, one at each end of the attic are opened atthe close of the heating season; this shortcircuits the heating system. The sunroom airflows up and out the attic, never entering theinner house.

Alpha HouseNew Tecumseth, Ontario

East elevation - Neutral grey cedarshingles, matching the colour of treetrunks, reflect the colour of earlymorning light and shadow. The face ofthe lean-to sunroom with its slopedglass roof is oriented south.The building’s simple form is acomposite of climatic response andreference to the great 19th centuryagricultural barns in the area.

The fireplace on the east wall of theliving room is connected to the smallpropane furnace duct system to deliverheat to every room in the house. To theright, the complete south wall of theliving room looks out into the sun roomand the valley beyond.

Opposite - The sunroom is a dramaticlounge and sleeping porch. Theheating system of the house, it protectsthe plants throughout the Canadianwinter without any commercial energyuse.

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Quetico Park is a magnificent wilderness area north across the borderfrom the USA Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest west ofThunder Bay. The Visitors’ Pavilion, built on a budget that wouldnormally produce a fairly conventional building, shelters vernacularCanadian symbols in a mysterious space; Camp fire, Voyageur Canoe,Pine Cabin. The bold form of natural materials assimilates a grandnorthern lodge in the forest landscape; Ontario’s Ministry of Tourismwanted the building to be eye catching from the nearby highway.

Visitors drive through the dense woods on a road centered on thesymmetrical building. Entering, they can walk through to the deckoverlooking the river that flows into the Park. The Pavilion is ofweathered cedar shingle, cedar deck, railings and siding, green slate,varnished pine interior and native stones, selected by the parknaturalist Shan Walshe from geological areas through out the Park, forthe fireplace.

Our client, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Tourismrequired administration offices and facilities for the visitors: a fireplace;a theater for projecting images of the Park; displays of Indian andnatural objects; an information and licensing counter, Park map; andthe birch bark Voyageur canoe placed over the stairs which lead downto the administration area below.

On the bank of the Pickerel River that flows into the Park

Front entry elevation

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The Campfire, the welcoming fireplace used bychildren and visitors for warming up and storytelling as they sit on the log stumps aroundlistening to the park naturalists.

The Voyageur Canoe, placed over the stair to theadministration below, and the Park mapsymbolizes this historic mode of transport. ThePark offers some of the finest canoeing waters inNorth America.

The Pine Cabin symbolizing the Canadian Shieldwilderness, is the slide projection theater. Themoose head carved from basswood represents thePark’s bird and animal life. Bear, beaver, lynx,deer, wolf, ducks, geese, and loons arephotographed. There is no taxidermy.

Inside the cavernous, dramatically lit visitors’ hall that represents the mystery and awe of the wilderness experience, three symbols are theatrically highlighted:

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Quetico ParkVisitors’ PavilionAtikokan, Ontario

Right - Winter photoduring a walk on frozen

Pickerel River.

Below - Site Plan

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SHAN WALSHE AND QUETICO PARKQuetico Centre, located in isolated wilderness west ofThunder Bay, was so popular that companies camefrom throughout the United States and Canada tolearn how to cope with the inevitable changes thatwere happening to them in the 70s and 80s. Ibecame their architect through a long and arduousselection process. Its dynamic, amiable director, CliffMacIntosh, led me to several other commissions in theAtikokan and Thunder Bay area; a General Motorsdealership, Atikokan high school gymnasium/theatreaddition, and the Quetico Park Pavilion for theMinistry of Natural Resources. While I was workingon the Pavilion, I was introduced to the Park’sextraordinary naturalist, Shan Walshe, who knew theinterrelated habitats of every plant ,fish, and animal inthe Park and was a biting wit.

Neeva Gayle and I shared a four day canoe trip withShan one June. On our paddle back, we wereconfronted by strong winds on Pickerel Lake. The

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Plan - Inside the Visitors’Hall, three symbols aretheatrically highlighted;The Campfire, The PineCabin, and the VoyageurCanoe over the stair to theadministration below.

ferocity of the winds came suddenly and we becamefrightened for our safety and Shan’s. We wereexhausted after hours of battling and took shelterbehind an island. We could not see Shan who waspaddling solo. I was filled with a great deal of anxietyand Neeva Gayle began to sob. Then we saw Shan,out in the lake alone, bobbing in huge waves, takinggiant paddle strides against the wind. We got hisattention and he headed into the lee of our island.We asked why he hadn’t taken shelter and he saidthat he always had fun canoeing against theseamazing winds, completely in tune with what Naturewas throwing at him. He was enjoying himself whilewe were rigid with fright of the unknown. He alsorespected Nature and knew that it could be fickle.As a safeguard, he always took two axes, two saws,and even two tents on his solo trips into the Parkwhere he knew how to live from the land for periodsthat could last a month.

Some years later, during a glorious rainless Julyweek, another voyage into Quetico Park wasenhanced by Shan and his wife Marge, my clientsEric and Clarissa, and the film director NormanJewison. The fishing was great and Norman, relivinghis odyssey in the cinema world, was a treat. Aftereight days our wind-up meal of bass andchanterelles, (courtesy of Shan) was enjoyed withchilled white wine. You might ask how on our lastevening, after eight days in the heat of July in themiddle of the million acre Quetico Park, could we bedrinking chilled wine? Shan had lowered it on a ropeforty feet below the lake surface where thetemperature was a consistent 50 degrees F. Shanunderstood the natural environment and could takeadvantage of it. It seemed to me that this was amessage for me and my fellow architects.

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Quetico Center’s Leisureand Learning Complex

Atikokan, Ontario

Above - The renovated pool.

Middle - The Forest Loungehas a large horizontal

window that offers dramaticviews of the changing

seasons.

Lower Left -The Music Lounge.

Lower Right - The new gymis formed of similar archedglue laminated beams as

those used on theswimming pool.

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Quetico Center’s EnergyEfficient Residences

Upper right - Three newbuildings integrated intothe landscape, we tookspecial precautions to saveall the trees - 90 roomswith beautiful lake views.

Quetico Centre’sConference Addition.

Axionometric showing thecentral gallery, the fourseminar rooms and themain conference hall. Thecentral gallery for coffeeand discussion links theseminar rooms with themain conference hall,shaped to allow summercross ventilation throughthe corner porches andrequiring no airconditioning.

Lower right -Main conference roomwith view out a cornerscreened porch.

Lower left - Entranceporch to the ConferenceCentre.

Upper left - Detail ofentrance porch to theConference Centre.

Quetico Centre, an adult education and conference campus,hidden on the shores of Clear Lake among beautiful pinesnorth of Lake Superior, first hired us to design energyefficient dormitories for students sent by corporations whowere learning how they and their colleagues could improveefficiency and initiate productive change. Cliff McIntosh,and his associate, Linda Wiens, are master educators andthey insisted that John Hix take their course. Cliff, QueticoCentre’s driving force, received the Orders of Ontario andCanada for his innovative educational programs. When Ibegan in 1982 they wanted to prepare for the 1990s. Theexisting dormitories, the conference centre and therecreation complex had been conceived in the 1950s, atime of inexpensive commercial energy and the energy billshad become onerous. We were to correct this.

We devised compact two storey residences that tookadvantage of double loaded corridors. We wrapped therooms around the end of each of the three buildings in orderto provide lake views for most of the rooms. The energyefficient strategy was not solar but heavy insulation,insulated window shutters, tight construction, makeup airheat exchange, low volume plumbing fixtures, and nighttemperature set back. It produced dramatic savings whencompared with the old facilities.

Next the existing Conference Centre needed rethinking. Weadded seminar rooms and a large conference roomconnected to the existing structure with an exhibition andcoffee gallery. The new conference room with screenedporches at each corner for cross ventilation and ceiling fansdid not require mechanical cooling.

The existing 1960s Sports and Leisure complex had anenormous Olympic-sized pool covered with an acrylic roofand a $10,000 yearly heating bill. We reduced the poolsize and made it circular but kept all the same pumps, thiscreated a current to swim against offering the sameexcercise as the larger pool. It required a smaller building.We designed new change rooms and highly insulated roofover the pool; the new fuel bill was only 10% of the original.Needless to say Quetico Centre was very happy with thesesavings. All the old lounges were renovated as were thekitchen and dining room. A new gymnasium was added andthe administration building refurbished. Quetico Centre andthe Directors, who had all taken the innovative courses there,had been open to ideas and innovation, a credit to CliffMcIntosh and to Guenter Bartsch, who was the director ofthe physical plant. They were truly creative clients.

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“We don’t Inherit the Earth from our Forebears, WeBorrow It from our Children”

The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority wanted tobuild a centre that would teach children naturalsciences, ecology, and the conservation ethic. We werethe selected architect because we were able to showthem many allied projects and we had a strong belief inthe project. They wanted a facility for over-nightingchildren but they had limited resources, only enough forthe construction of the education building. A wheelchair accessible, covered quadrangle was devised andraised to protect the roots of the maple forest. Along it,we placed the education building, children’s cabins, acafeteria, administration building, equipment storage,caretaker’s house, and an observation tower, all whichcan be “phased-in” when future funds become available.

The recognizable, pitched roof lines and fort-likecomposition provides an appropriate and reassuringdesign for children who, typically, value clarity. As wellas meeting the rigorous budget, the straight-forward useof natural materials took advantage of local builders’capabilities and imparted the local vernacular. Highceilings, ceiling fans and screened porches encouragecross-ventilation and eliminate typical energy-wastingmechanical equipment. Our clients appreciated thecross-ventilation for drying wet parkas and rain gear infront of the windows in the mudroom/snow vestibule, itsslotted floor allowing sand and snow to fall to an areabelow where it is hosed away once a year.

Opposite Above - EducationCentre as seen from theeast, traditional shape andnatural materials.

Opposite Left - The NeevaGayle and John Hix Gallery

Opposite Right - The Hall,with back screen projectionfor instruction.

Above - The Campus:cabins, administration,cafeteria, eduction centre,tower, the raised walkway.

Above Left - The mainassembly hall, with loungearound the fireplace, hasmany uses for the children.On weekends, weddingshelp defray costs.

Left - The mud room/snowvestibule has a slotted floorfor sand and snow.Rainwear is hung in front ofthe windows for drying.

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The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority needed tosupplement their covered wheel-chair accessible quadrangle (seethe Environmental Learning Centre) with a new AdministrationCentre that oversees the Nottawasaga River watershed in Ontario.They sought to provide several demonstrations of energy efficiency(solar heating, wind generation, etc.). However they had arelatively small construction budget that could not afford theseextras.

Instead, we specified heavy insulation for the building envelopeand high efficiency operable windows. We convinced them toinvest in geo-thermal energy which would heat and cool the

building. Several dry wells were dug to supply energy to threeground source heat pumps that draw heat from the earth in winterand provide cooling in the summer. Thus the building itselfbecame the demonstration of what can be done to lower energybills through out the year and provide a comfortable officeenvironment for the staff.

The galvalume metal roof and stained plywood siding combinedwith metal horizontal battens form the cost effective buildingskin.

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PONDO

When I was a young architect teaching and designing in Norway, Itoured Finland with my colleague Seth Seablom who I had met at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. Seth had been a Fulbright scholar at theRoyal Academy in Copenhagen and he had won several ideacompetitions and had become fairly well known in Scandinavia. Wecamped outside Helsinki studying the wonderful buildings by AlvarAalto. I was enthralled because the Finns, in my view, were finearchitects and architecture in Finland was an exalted art and a majorexpression in that country. I had never seen so many quality materialsand expensive copper roofs.

Kirmo Mikkola, Seth’s friend, was a large robust architect with a greatsense of humour (in my experience rare for a Finn) who designedbuildings similar to those of Charles Eames or Mies van der Rohe. Thisstyle we would later call ‘high tech”. He invited us to an island in thearchipelago an hours ride by water taxi from Helsinki harbour. In June,with dusk at eleven p.m. and sunrise at one, the evenings were magical.An architect had willed to the architectural association a small islandwith an atrium house to be used as a retreat. Five other Finnisharchitects joined our boat, for our island visit was their occasion todebate the new role of Finland’s major architectural magazine. Thethree young architects were not happy with the editorship of the threeolder architects, including our friend Kirmo. The young architectswanted to take over the editorship and improve things. We were greetedby wives and children of the older architects who were living in theisland house on a rocky granite shore. The flavour of the area remindsme today of the eastern shore of Georgian Bay in Ontario. The island’sbenevolent owner had created a surprise in the middle of the island.Inside the circular enclosure of cedars were pruned fruit trees, currantbushes and a chinese pagoda; a manicured Elysian garden, perhaps hisview of heaven. Outside this circle, the pines, the firs, the rocks, andblue berries confirmed that we were a part of an indigenous Northernarchipelago.

Finns drink heavily with purpose, their habits do not follow that of acasual drink in a London pub. The eight of us formed a circle inside thecircle with the clinical view of devouring a rather large bottle of vodkafilled with red currants for local colour. Our lively animated conversationnaturally reached a crescendo. The Finns, speaking English for our

behalf, were fun and friendly making me feel warm and welcome. Wedrifted back to the atrium house for sandwiches and coffee.

The sauna cabin was some distance through the forest on an isolatedsmall bay. It followed the traditional form, an intimate living room withbuilt in couches for sleeping along two sides and a fire place in theopposite corner. The fireplace blazed while we waited for the woodburning sauna room to heat. It took about an hour and during thattime, the discussion, in Finnish, took on a serious tone as bottles ofwhite wine were passed around. Seth and I sat quietly as I began tomarvell at the masterful wood detailing in the cabin. I watched thefading silhouette of fir trees against the dwindling light of the deep pinkevening sky reflect in the mirror of the bay. I wanted my drink ladengaze through the perfectly positioned low horizontal windows to lastforever. Kirmo bellowed, “ Now it is time for sauna.” To say the saunawas hot is an understatement, it was over 100 degrees C. and had fourtiers for sitting which determined how much temperature you couldtake. Sauna air, before you add water to the rocks, is extremely dry andyou can endure surprising high temperatures, but when they threwwater onto the rocks raising the humidity, my wet skin stoppedevaporating and I gasped, it was unbearable, my cringing delighted theFinns. Seth and I hovered on the lower tier, they were at the top. Itwas my first sauna, but certainly not theirs. The outside evening air wascool and the sheltered bay that I dove into from the plank stuck into therocks was cold. When I struck the surface, the water seemed to sizzle.But it did not feel cold, it was exhilarating, refreshing. We sat on thebenches outside the cabin talking quietly while striking ourselves withsmall twig bundles. This made my skin feel wonderfully alive. The coolevening breeze felt warm, though I knew it wasn’t. My dazedsauna/water/bench ritual persisted until I noticed that I was alone. Imade my way back to the house and believed them when they told methat sauna would prevent my headache the next day. It didn’t.

Some twenty five years later, I recreated the memory of that Finnishsauna cabin on the shore of our pond that my wife and I love so muchhere in Ontario. Louis Kahn once said that it is the architect’schallenge to bring a dream into reality and once you make a mark onthe paper, the dream becomes less. It is a curious name for a cabin,Pondo; we had built a successful condominium and with the profitsbuilt our “pondominium”, a figment of a dream.

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Demonstration Area

Assembly AreaTower

Wellness Centre

Site Plan - The central dining hall, TheArk, is shaped like an over-turned boatand compliments the contour of agentle hill over looking the camp’s lakebelow. Behind the hall the kitchen andtwo wings, one offices and the other a“wellness center”, complete the centralfacility. The gathering places andoutdoor education areas are sited to beprotected from the wind.

Opposite -The interior of the maindining hall is a composition of pinecolumns and trusses and a pantheon ofbasswood carvings of animals and birdsindigenous to the Muskoka Region.Muskoka granite forms the centralfireplace/stage which is used forannouncements, songs, and plays.

The Toronto YMCA wanted to upgrade their centralfacilities at Camp PineCrest in the Muskoka lake districtand add administration offices, a clinic and displays ofrenewable energies and materials for educating thechildren who are mainly from the inner city.

Some 127 architects asked for more details, 87 sentletters of interest, the YMCA took 15 formal proposals.Five firms were visited by their staff, and when theycould not decide, two firms were asked to makedesigns in an impromptu competition lasting fourweeks. During the selection process, which lastedfrom December to the end of April, I was flying backand forth from Vieques, Puerto Rico. In the end theychose our scheme.

The project consists of a dining hall for 270, withkitchens, and two wings, one devoted to administrationand the other to the medical services of the WellnessCenter. Richard Bailey, the CEO of Toronto’s YMCAwanted every view of the building to be attractive, eventhe loading docks. The dedication ceremony was heldon the loading dock, which looks like an outdoorconcert stage.

We always strive to make beautiful spaces, particularlyspaces like the children’s dining hall with its fireplace

and large central stage. The spaces needed to be agood fit for the children; made for children, children-centered and having the romance of a forest lodge.Most of the children come from an urban community,either living amongst concrete, steel, glass andblacktop parking lots or in the over-controlledbleakness of the suburbs. Raw Nature would be newfor them. This place would be in tune with Nature andmade from its materials.

I designed the dining hall as a protective ark, thechildren’s ark, a soft boat-shaped roof of natural greycedar shingles that would compliment the hill thatoverlooked the camp’s lake. The children would bedrawn under it to learn of the flora, fauna and thenatural forces that play on the site. I surrounded theark with an arcade where the children could shelter ona rainy day. The roof, like a mothering hen, is carrieddown to child scale. Low window sills and lightswitches, low tables and chairs create an atmospherewhere adults, not children, look out of place. It is aplace that can take the knocks from kids and still lookgood, nails can be driven into wood columns andposters hung. Natural objects are displayed on childheight shelves filled with pine cones, shells, stones,and abandoned wasp and bird nests: a display ofNature’s discovered wonders.

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West Elevation - The Children’s Arkforms the top of the hill, the arcadearound stores firewood and framesviews to the lake below.

East Elevation - YMCA’s CEO RichardBailey wanted every view of the buildingto look good. The kitchen loading dockwas used as a stage for the dedicationceremonies. To the left is the outsidedemonstration area and office wing, tothe right the "Wellness" Center.

South Elevation - The dining hall is tothe left and to the right of the outdoordemonstration area is the covered load-ing dock.

Opposite above - The dining hall withthe surrounding arcade where childrencan gather on a rainy day. Pegs in thewalls support packs, jackets and rain-wear. Rain water from the cedar roofpowers a water wheel that runs a sawbefore it falls into the cistern.

Opposite left - The arcade formed withlarge pine columns is a place to gatherand allows the windows to be open onwarm rainy days. The fireplace woodcures under the window sills. Hangingbird, chipmunk and red squirrel feedersentertain the dining children.

Opposite right - The junction of themain hall space and the support spacesprovides protected entry locations intothe building.

SOUTH ELEVATION

It is a magic place of wonder and beauty, a place toassemble and create, a place in contrast with thechildren’s urban experiences; a framework for thechildren to develop environmental responsibility, selfreliance, and a conserving ethic.

The theme is Nature. It is a place to experiencenatural processes and patterns that belong to the land.In this respect I organized a pantheon of wood animaland bird carvings in the main hall; beaver, bear andwolf cub, deer and moose fawn, fox, lynx, otter, rabbit,raccoon, loon, eagle, goose, and the horned owl. Thisreminds the children that they share the land withmany other living creatures.

The forces of wind, rain, and sun found in Nature areimportant to reveal to the children. Roof water drivesa water wheel that powers a saw, then flows into poolsthat measure rainfall for the herb and flower gardens.Posters explain the lake’s roll in the water cycle andhow water had powered mills and generated electricityin this region of Muskoka. All the electrical andplumbing equipment are conserving and energyefficient. Photo-voltaic cells and a wind generatorpower lights and fans, all monitored at the energydisplay in the outside demonstration area. Paths areilluminated at night directly from Sun with no wiring.

The children are taught to read the Sun dial and therole Sun and wind play in the laundry drying shed. Afun solar cooker is for hot dogs and hamburgers.Wood, a form of solar heat, is used in the highlyefficient central fireplace and bakes the bread in thewood oven near the kitchen. The children gather wind-fall wood to be stored in the arcade around the dininghall. A managed wood lot shows how wood heat issustainable.

A conservation ethic is fostered. Food waste isweighed daily and compared to the previous day andweek. Composting enriches the soil in the terracedherb and flower beds. A teacher describes how thecomposting toilet works.

Most important, for my clients the YMCA of GreaterToronto, is low maintenance. No paint is used, onlygrey stain, which is the natural color of weatheredwood. Easy to care for sealed concrete floors allowedus to press in the paths of deer hoofs and rabbit feetfor the children’s amusement. Local indigenousmaterials, requiring short transport to the site, wereused; Eastern white cedar shingles, pine and sprucebeams and columns, framed timber walls, grey stainedpine siding, local Muskoka stone for fireplaces, coloredconcrete slabs of local sand and gravel.

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We enjoy the challenge of making modest buildings spatiallydelightful and fun. When the YMCA asked us to renew the Boys’washroom, showers, and toilets at Camp PineCrest, it appearedto us that we could put the toilet building on an existing slab andadd a shower building to create a “Shower Fort”.

When I was a kid at camp, the gang shower was always dark,cold, dank, clammy, and musty, the walls cold to the touch.Here, we wanted to make the shower and toilet/washroombuildings filled with sunlight, warmed with passive solar heatthat would dry walls and floors, discouraging damp and mildew,and be cheerful and inviting.

The buildings find their shape from the pragmatism of the planand the orientation to the Sun. The vertical glass wall of thetoilet/washroom building and the acrylic roof over the newshower building face south.

The economics of energy use and daily maintenance are ofprimary concern. The showers are fed by a solar panel hot watersystem with gas fired heater backup, and water saving fixturesand shower heads are specified. To reduce cleaning time, thesealed concrete floors slope to troughs and drains; floors, walls,and plumbing fixtures are simply hosed down reducingdependence on chemical cleaners.

The plywood panel siding is fastened to organized, exposed woodstuds. We stain our buildings grey, the tone wood naturally tendsto become over time and we use no paint. Inside the transparentwhite stain protects wood’s lovely warmth from darkening.

Out of the summer season, the “Shower Fort” is used by olderyouth groups and YMCA volunteers, therefore the “Shower Fort’has hinged panels that cover the screens in Spring and Autumnkeeping out the wind. The “Shower Fort” demonstrates thateven toilets and showers can be fun for children.

Opposite Above - The shower building on the left and the toilet/washroom onthe right enclose a visually and wind protected deck. Passive solar heat is akey strategy in the design.

Opposite Left and Right - Bright sunlight streams into the toilet/washroombuilding. All partitions are suspended and sealed concrete floors slope todrains for easy maintenance. Sinks and wall coverings are stainless steel,partitions are stained marine plywood hung on suspended galvanizedframes.

Left, Above - Passive solar heats the sealed concrete of the shower building.Stained marine plywood panels on galvanized frames, all detailed for easycleaning, are suspended from the roof beams.

Left, Below - The vertical glass wall of the washroom collects passive solarwarmth.

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Jean and David Day “wanted aretirement house that theirgrandchildren would find idyllic so theywould have summers that wereunforgettable”. In the past they hadhired me to design the renovation of abeautiful beach cottage. It had becometoo small for their extended family-eightchildren, many grandchildren andcounting. While I paid careful attentionto their practical requirements- viewsfrom every room, fireplaces, largescreened porches for cross ventilation, Iwas interested in something moreelusive-the spirit of the house anddiverse generations coming together as afamily. The 144’ Longhouse is designedas two separate dwellings at each end,joined by a large entry hall; the Days at

one end and the children and grandchildren at the other. While the benefits of privacy are obvious, the separation offered other advantages;each has its own high efficient ground source heat pump. Since Jean and David often stay at Longhouse alone, the dual system cut energy costsdramatically. The magic of the design lies in the way it brings the woodland indoors. Even on the hottest days, cross-breezes breathe throughevery room.

Adapted from an article by Anna Kohn in Canadian House and Home

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Mike and Marni Robinette were our countryneighbors as their children were growing. Whentheir daughters became teenagers they found abeautiful site on the shores of Lake Rosseau in theMuskoka Lakes district and asked me to design awinterized cottage. The challenge was the steepsouth facing slope and the protection of the majestictrees. I designed a long thin house that providedcross ventilation, sun, and lake views. TraditionalMuskoka cottages have distinct characteristics andmany from the 1920s are very grand. They display atradition of beautiful wood detailing and distinctiveindigenous granite stonework. Most were built in theearly 20th century and surrounded by screened

Lower Left - Fireplace wood andequipment are stored in a small shedinside the sun room. It divides thefront entry door from summer dining.In the winter the firewood blocks thewindow and in summer a framed viewof the lake greets the visitor.

Lower Centre - The children’s cabinhas the den with a fireplace andtelevision. The stair leads to the twobedrooms above.

Lower Right - The kitchen island inthe parents’ cabin has a commandingview of beautiful Lake Rosseau.

porches making the interior dark even on thebrightest summer day. I wanted to capture theMuskoka spirit but bathed in light. The Robinettessaid that they loved their daughters but they wantedto be able to get away from them, particularly whenthe children were in a robust party mood. Theelongated plan emphasized this separation and Itook that idea even farther by dividing the cottageinto a parents’ cabin with the kitchen and achildren’s cabin with television in a den. A sun roomwith the summer dining table and a wood shedinside divides the two cabins. Marni quips: “Thechildren let us watch television and we let themeat.”

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Larry and Barbara Karasiuk purchased a double lot in a large-lot subdivision , with a wonderful south view and small forest to thewest. With the help of associate architect Mike Poitras , my task was to block out the surrounding grey stone “monster houses”and highlight the vistas to the south and west. An “L- shaped plan” is formed by the master bedroom/office west wing and theguests’ bedrooms form the south wing. Both wings converge on the kitchen , dining and living core. The site slopes to the westallowing the walk out family room/gym below. A garage/shop wing and landscape encloses the entry court to the north. The linearone storey plan combined with profuse tree planting provides the essential seclusion.

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Opposite Left - View from thefront entry under thepavilion. On the main level,Bruce Peninsula Wiartonflagstone flows into the stoneentry floor. The galleries andstudio spaces are hardwoodfloors of Russian birch.

The model shows thepavilion in front of thegallery and behind thediagonal glass screens andcurved wall forming therooms of the Studio.

Front Cover - Stone benchwith maple backs leaningagainst the plywood siding ofthe architects’ studio.

The studio, set into a slope overlooking the forest, has a pragmatic and economic rectilinear plan similar to localagrarian buildings. An entrance pavilion/carport, that masks the utilitarian studio behind, is constructed froman assemble of 4x4s, it supports a cedar roof and a skylight of horticultural glass. Facing east, away from theprevailing cold west winds, it catches the seasonal sunrise. Inside, the rectilinear plan is articulated with a solidcurved wall and diagonal glass and steel walls. The gallery and studio are filled with light from the predominantsouth facing windows.

Climate related design and energy efficiency are preoccupations: the north wall is built into a hill, the largesouth facing energy efficient windows have insulating blinds. The smaller north facing awning windows allowfor cross ventilation and are fitted with insulated shutters. The wood framed walls and ceilings are heavilyinsulated. Last year the ground source heat pump, that draws heat in the winter and cool in the summer fromthe earth, required just over $600 for heating. The building's horizontality is expressed with wide inexpensivefir plywood siding set into 2x4 horizontal battens. Floors are Russian birch and Bruce Peninsula limestone. Thebuilding sits on well draining gravel which allowed an experimental inexpensive strand board lower floor laidover pressure treated wood sleepers.

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It all started with Hurricane Hugo. After years of vacationing on the quiet Puerto Rican island of Vieques,Toronto-based architect John Hix had finally purchased his dream piece of land –thirteen hilltop acres ofVieques’ tropical jungle with panoramic views of the Caribbean. As Hugo hit the headlines, the builders wereready, but Hix had not submitted working plans. According to meteorologists, the hurricane would missVieques…but it didn’t. Hix stayed up all night glued to the TV following its progress. It was a wake-up call.He literally went back to the drawing board to design a house that could withstand a hurricane.

The triangle, as Hix will tell you, is the strongest shape in nature, and so a triangular house it was – in reinforcedconcrete with enormous cutouts to maximize the view, and strategically placed metal roll-down shutters in caseanother tropical tempest should come along. Hix also decided to leave the outside raw and unpainted. Whathe created was both practically and aesthetically a tropical bunker – a poignant design.

As so often with highly individual places, Hix Island House was never planned as a hotel. It evolved into onebecause John Hix figured it was high time some of his friends started to pay. So he built more villas, each inhis signature bunker style. At first glance, the suites of Hix Island House have more in common with a big cityloft than a Caribbean island hideaway. Yet these open-plan shapes, with polished concrete floors and hugeunglazed cutouts framing postcard views, are perfect for the tropics. The building’s design allows the reliabletrade winds to circulate, eliminating the need for air conditioning. Which is typical of the ecologically sensitivespirit of Hix Island House. Electricity is generated by solar panels, the water from the showers irrigates the lushtropical fruit garden, and the handsomely designed swimming pool uses a low-chemical cleaning system. Theimpression created by these Caribbean lofts is that of being on a boat, and at night it’s like sleeping on deck.The architecture blurs the distinction between outside and inside. One end of your loft is exposed to theelements, yet your bed is far enough inside never to get wet. You can experience a tropical downpour withoutclosing a single window – there are none.

Hix Island House is the tropics amplified by modern architecture and design. It’s not just that each loft isaround four times the size of a typical hotel room, but the sense of space is boosted by the openness to theelements. It’s all about visual sensation – a far more sophisticated tool than merely fluffy towels or Frette linens(though you do get these too). Each suite has a fully equipped kitchen and a well-stocked fridge, and the breaddelivered to your room each morning is baked fresh on the premises. However, this is no place for princesses.

Edited from Herbert Ypma’s writing in Hip Hotels-Beach, Thames and Hudson 2004

Top AcrossCasa TriangularCasa Redonda

Casa RectangularLa Casona

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LEGEND1. CASA TRIANGULAR2. CASA REDONDA3. POOL & CABANAS4. OFFICE & MANAGER’S CASITA5. CASA RECTANGULAR6. YOGA STUDIO7. LA CASONA LA CASITA8. CASA SOLARIS

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My wife, Neeva Gayle, and I had retreated for some years to the Island of Vieques in the Caribbean. Weeventually purchased a wooded hillside, bathed with the cooling trade winds, that had spectacular views overthe undeveloped beaches and sea toward the island of St. Croix. In the aftermath of hurricane “Hugo” therewasn’t a leaf left on a tree and all of the galvanized metal-roofed wood houses had all but disappeared. Idiscarded the construction drawings of the metal roofed house I had designed and started a fresh design asstrong as a concrete bunker.

I became fascinated with the Island’s vernacular concrete construction techniques; local builders constructcement block walls leaving corners and spaces open every ten feet or so. They then place reinforcing barsinto these vertical openings and fill them with concrete. This knits the blocks into a contiguous steel-reinforced concrete frame. The method is simple and does away with dimensional tolerances. Here in theUSA and Canada, we build the concrete frame initially, and then in-filled it with block. On the Island ofVieques, the workmen are excellent concrete finishers and can hone cement stucco to an exactingsmoothness, covering the rough concrete and block. I followed their method and made a fire, wind, and quakeproof structure devoid of glass windows; wood shutters and louvres control the wind and rain. The constantbreeze discourages insects making glass windows and screens a redundant liability.

Neeva Gayle’s dream was to operate a guest house not unlike her father who once had a hotel in Vancouver.We felt that providing a studio apartment for guests was hospitable. I drew a three level triangular plan thatfaced the south east trade breezes and nestled into the slope. Layering the villa provided privacy, magnificentviews for all, and the roof terrace, where we could congregate to enjoy the setting sun. The triangle shapedplan addresses the breezes and the outside showers in the corners with their great views are a fun experience.

The essence of a good recreational environment is its contrast with day to day mundane experience. Thishouse is a part of Nature and in tune with it; rustic, not a suburban transplant. It allows us to reach back tohidden primordial instincts. When it rains in the living room, you can retreat back into the cave-like bedroomarea. It is not refined. It is basic, simple, fundamental. It allows us to be as close to Nature as possible andstill be protected; it is bathed in the perfect climate of sun, rain, and wind. The kitchen and bathroomcounters, tables and floors are concrete, finished smooth like tile. Hand woven rugs are liberally thrown wherethey are needed. Inspired by De Stijl architect Rietveld, I cut the wood components for the chairs and loungesin our Ontario studio and we toted them to Vieques in our luggage for assembly. The longer pieces we carriedin ski bags to the Caribbean!!

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My brother and I stained the interior walls and left the exterior toweather. The cement color visually integrates the house into thelandscape and matches the colour of the large boulders that dot theisland. It eliminates all the maintenance associated with painting.Now that the house is completed, we have put our energies into therewarding landscape of palms, casarina, lemon, papaya,bougainvillaea, hibiscus, cactus, and pineapple.

I am often asked how difficult it was to build so far away? Thecontractor, Paco Cruz, 73 years, is an experienced builder and speaksEnglish. He had learned his trade on the island of St. Croix, where heescaped the impoverished Vieques after the fall of the sugar market onthe 1950s. He returned to be the builder of all the best houses. Whenhe agreed to build ours, which he said would be his last (he has builtfive since), he gave us an estimate. It seemed low to me, so Iincreased the cost in my own mind by 30 % and gave him the go-ahead. I am very rigorous about my clients’ contracts with builders,but for ourselves, we went out on a limb with Paco. I asked him whatwould be the form of our contract. He shocked me by saying that heusually had a joint chequing account. We would send money and hewould write the cheques. It was based on trust and it worked. I wouldnever suggest this for my clients.

Building a three storey house with heavy concrete, no mixer truck,crane, or concrete pump called for ingenuity and, though it seemsprimitive, Paco’s foreman Tao solved the problem of lifting concrete.He constructed a wood tower and ran a cable over the pulley at thetop then down to a 50 gallon barrel which was filled with concrete.The other end was attached to Tao’s truck which when backed downthe hill raised the concrete to the third level.

I flew down every month or so during the construction to answerquestions and look things over. I wondered why theelectrician/plumber, Angel, had a portable jack hammer as one of histools. I found out. He positioned many of the electrical outletsincorrectly and when I flushed the top floor toilet I noticed that thebowl filled with hot water. Out came the jack hammer. When everything was completed and I was hosing the roof terrace, you guessedit, hot water. Angel was back again with his jack hammer. Just as Ihad expected, the cost was approximately 30% more than Paco’sestimate. I often joke that the reason it was 30% over budget wasthat 10% of the house was built three times. The moral is to neverhire an electrician who says he is a plumber. Paco and his crew dida lot right and in the end we were very happy how it all turned out andwe got a lot of house for our budget.

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Our guests often ask why Hix Island House is the way that it is. To me,things that I find in Nature are more fascinating and beautiful thanthings that are made by man. I strive to make my buildings fit withNature. I also endeavor to understand the forces in Nature that causethose natural things to be what they are. It therefore seems to me that,as an architect, I should attempt to understand those same naturalforces that would affect my buildings.

You will discover, on this Island, many huge extraordinary, gray graniteboulders strewn on the land from some primordial era. The sculpturalqualities of these are awe-inspiring beyond that of Henry Moore. Theserocks harmonize with the countryside and are unanticipated whenencountered. They do not shout. It seems sensible that my Viequesbuildings should be sculpture absorbed and concealed by thelandscape. I often think how exceptional this island countryside wouldbe with unpainted buildings.

Here, our guests welcome a divergence from their mundaneurban/suburban life. They want to “get away from it all”. A milieu ofcontrast, for me, is the very essence of re-creation. I am obligated toconstruct rustic, simple, undemanding environments, leeway forpersonal interpretation and inspiration.

Designing with natural forces (Sun, topography, breeze, rain, climate)has many advantages; conserving commercial energy, reducing repair

and maintenance, minimizing the use of chemicals, treading lightly onthe Earth. The houses collect rainwater, heat it with the Sun, then,after use, return the water to the surrounding flora. They convert theSun’s rays into electricity. They rest on a topography that enjoys aconstant trade wind. They are open to reflective vistas soquintessential for the contemplative prospect.

The Wabi-Sabi* construction of block and reinforced concretesurfaced with plaster is hurricane, earthquake and fireproof. Unglazedwindows offer our guests direct connection with climate and Nature,an occurrence found wanting in the urban experience. Our concretehouses with their steel rolling doors and heavy wood shutters havebecome havens for our neighbors during hurricanes. We encounteredno damage from the two we have withstood.

My approach to the landscape is one of “gardening Nature”; addingsome species, but mainly removing the vines from those that we found“naturally” on the site. In this way we delight in instant landscapewith low maintenance because the species are native. It is alandscape that is one with our countryside, “nuestro campo”.

*Wabi-Sabi, derived over time from the 15th century tea ceremony in Japan, says that asthings age they become more beautiful. It is organic and eschews any decoration that is notintegral to structure.

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Casa Solaris is the first all solar Caribbean hotel building that is entirely removed from the commercial electrical grid. Guests enjoyingcustomary amenities including a well appointed kitchen, with the knowledge that Casa Solaris requires no burning of coal or oil or atomicenergy that in one way or another pollute our environment and our planet.

Since organizing “The Autonomous House Team” with his students in the late 1960’s at Cambridge University, architect John Hix has beendevoted to the understanding of climate, energy efficiency, conservation, and solar architecture. Casa Solaris is the fulfillment of anaspiration that has been nurtured over 50 years of architectural design. Serving our guests are; the Caribbean trade winds, rain collectioncistern, the latest in light emitting diode (LED) lighting, energy and water efficient appliances, fans, and plumbing, hot water panels andsolar photo voltaic panels on the roof, and batteries. Our guests can safely charge their Ipads and computers directly from the Sun. Theluxurious Casa Solaris lofts are spacious. The upper level lofts serving two guests are 1010 s.f. (square feet), the mid level lofts are 1370s.f., and the two bedroom suites are each 1500 s.f..

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Hix Island House has gained recognition internationally as one of the top ten Green Hotels; has been selectedas the sustainable hotel of the year this past three years by the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association, isa recipient of a U.S. EPA Environmental Quality Award, and is designated as the first Sustainable TourismFacility by the Puerto Rican government. Luxury defines itself in the 19 lofts as generous architectural spacewith framed views of nature and tranquility. Our pools are unique in that the fountains and pumps run directlyfrom the Sun. Our guests experience environment in contrast to their everyday experiences at home. Thiscontrast, we believe, is the essence of recreation. For more see: www.hixislandhouse.com

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The retirement house for Tom Wright, the vice president of Princeton University, is set along a sea grape covered beach with splendid viewsof the Atlantic. This north shore of Vieques experiences the largest waves on the island hosting local surfers. Larger waves, however, area potential threat to houses along this shore.

At the start of our design, Tom was rightfully wary of costs for his large program of spaces; the living/dining /kitchen/master bedroom areacombined with 3 bedrooms for his children and grandchildren. I designed a bridge separating these two areas that could be severed if bidswere over my estimate. Fortunately they were not.

Though the house has sea views, it is surrounded by several other vacation homes and Privacy was Tom’s concern along with Security.I added a further concern, that of a Sea Surge from a hurricane. The design lifted the house a level providing Security, Privacy, and defensefrom the sea. It also creates parking sheltered from the Caribbean sun. Salt from sea spray is a problem as it films glazed windowsrequiring constant maintenance. There is no glass in Tom’s house.

Wide rolling doors are placed on each side of the Living Room, one faces north to the Atlantic and the other to the south elevated swimpool. Tom can choose to close the south or the north to control an unfavorable wind or have them both open to catch the faithful breeze.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

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It is serendipitous that this house is not connected to the electrical grid. We had planned a connection to thedeveloper’s commercial grid, but he did not provide the promised service. My clients, Donna Gorman and RogerJohansson, were faced with the onerous cost of long wires and numerous poles; so they chose “going solar”.

To reduce the electrical load, we designed a direct current swim pool pump and filter system; when the sun shines,the pump pumps. Hot water is solar heated, grey water flows to fruit trees and bananas.

In response to possible development on each side and back of the house, bedroom wings form a court focusingthe view to the sea. The sea view and security are enhanced by elevating the living floor above grade creating spacebelow for garage, cistern, solar equipment and batteries. Best of all the owners have no electricity bills.

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Ed Lewis and Glen Wielgus developed lots on a beautiful ridge overlooking the Caribbean tothe south and the Atlantic to the north. They named it Monte Brisas after the mountainbreezes. One of the overgrown lots generated little interest and I was asked to design a houseon it for sale. They moved in and have enjoyed it so much that they have been there since.Ed, with the most amazing tropical green thumb, has turned the property into a botanicalparadise. The living area has been elevated to enhance the spectacular vista of the CaribbeanSea. Raising the living floor also achieves better security. The swim pool, as in other projects,seconds as a moat allowing the living floor to be open to the breezes at night.

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The owners, Glen Martin and Chef Alex Mazzocca said farewell to a thriving landmarkrestaurant, The Martin House, on Cape Cod and moved to Vieques to provide real estateservices and catering. Always gracious hosts, they wanted to manage a small B+B consistingof two rental apartments. The challenging site sloped sharply ninety degrees away fromviews of the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. The steep slope made it difficult to add theextra apartments to the main house; the resulting building footprint to large for the slope.I proposed a tower, distinct from the main house, that has become popular with their guests.The lower loft enjoys a private patio and the upper loft has the roof garden.

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Jo Anne and Peter Yaremko and I spent many months trying to find the perfect site. Theychose a small lot with a 35’ north to south elevation drop and a stunning panoramic view ofthe Caribbean. I pointed out to them that a larger than normal portion of their budget wouldbe spent on earthwork and retaining walls in order to fit their wished-for house onto the site.Because house, pool, and gardens covered nearly all the site, it was a difficult build for thecontractor Cheo Molina with so little room to maneuver, but he did it admirably.

The Yaremkos delight in the sound of flowing water. The Great Room (living/dining/kitchen) iscentered on a waterfall on the north wall and the Caribbean Sea view to the south. Theswimming pool has a cascading fountain. They have named the house Casa Cascadas, TheWaterfall House.

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VIEQUES Creative photographer Phil Toledano and marketing

consultant Carla Serrano purchased a site with minimalbreezes and views of the Caribbean at ground level. At thetop of the ramp, the main living level, the views areextensive, at the bedroom level are expansive, and from theroof pergola spectacular. The young couple visit their housesporadically when they escape their New York City workfrenzy.It was conceived as the ideal rental property with four fullbathrooms and outdoor showers; three couples on thebedroom level above and, at a pinch, another on the livinglevel. It has turned out to be one of the most attractiveaffordable rental properties on Vieques, just as my clientshad planned.

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Wight and Betsy Martindale purchased a beautiful beachfront property and were rightly concernedabout hurricanes because most, if not all, houses on Great Harbour Cay are constructed of woodwith asphalt shingle roofs, not the best for tropical cyclone protection or collecting rainwater.They saw on the Hix Island House Hotel website our solid wind and fire resistant concreteresidences and contacted us. I made a visit to the site during a January cold snap, hence aheating system and fireplace; features I would not embrace in Puerto Rico. Cross ventilation isour design mantra resulting in a long house; every bedroom has a view of the sea and is bathedin the natural sea breezes.

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Some years ago, I designed an elegant Toronto home for market consultants Suzanne Landau and Ron Beasley with the help of their friendinterior designer Richard Eppstadt. Suzanne and Ron have impeccable taste and, with Richard’s skill, I knew when they asked me to designtheir desert retreat in California, that it would be a success. It was clear that I could not “run” the job from my Ontario studio, so wecontacted local architect Jim McEachern, who carried out the project in stunning detail. The house forms a wind protected veranda-framedcourtyard sheltering a swim and a spa pool. The courtyard opens to the main northeast vista; access to a roof terrace enhances that viewfurther.

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Pin Stripe Mississippi River House, Clayton, Iowa Casa Maaskant, St. Lucia

Casa Chaviano Childers, Vieques, Puerto Rico Casa Bickford, Vieques, Puerto Rico

Right - We pushed over a dead cedartree and it fell into pieces roughly

the size of 2x10s. It took me threehours to carve a crude snow shoewith the small Swiss army knife to

replace the ski David Austin had lost.As I was cutting the notches that

would hold the bindings cut from ourbackpacks, the helicopter flew over

us, then disappeared.

Some years ago I discovered that respecting the forces in Nature was a matter of survival. I want to share thisexperience with you because the understanding of natural forces that led to my survival is based on principlesthat should be applied to everything that we build; our houses, our buildings, our towns and cities, our totalhabitat.

On Thursday morning, December 6, David Austin and I drove to the mountains two hours north ofVancouver. We planned to ski up to Elfin cabin, 4000 feet above Squamish, British Columbia near Mt.Garibaldi, spend the night and return Friday morning for breakfast. Our back packs held provisions for onenight. We brought two light weight sleeping bags because we expected to overnight in the warm cabin, partof the park’s system of accommodation.

The sky was a clear blue as we trudged all day up to the cabin. The scenery was magnificent. I thought howexhilarating it would be skiing down the next day. It was early in the season and the park rangers were notfinished setting red flags at intervals across the open meadows to define the trail; some meadows had no flags.We did not know at the time that these areas would be our Nemesis.

The cabin was uncomfortable, the mattresses had been removed for the winter and I tried to sleep on thebed’s plywood base. The next morning at around nine we said goodbye to a young couple who had sharedthe cabin with us. It was spitting snow. By 10 a.m. the snowfall coming from the Pacific Ocean was soheavy that it was impossible for me to see David ahead. The trail through the forest was clearly defined butwhen we entered the open meadows, we appreciated the flags that the rangers had placed every sixty feet orso. Standing next to one flag I could not see the next. I would plod on guessing at the direction and a flagwould appear. This ritual seemed never ending.

The conditions were gruesome. I had become an experienced skier twenty years before while teaching designat the university in Trondheim, Norway. I had climbed and skied the Glittertin, Norway’s highest peak.More recently, I had skied Alberta’s Columbia ice fields near Lake Louise with the same Trondheim chemicalengineering friends that were working Gulf ’s oil fields during Alberta’s oil boom in the 1970’s. Still, I wasnot prepared for mountain snow storms near the Pacific Ocean, the kind that dump four feet of wet snow inten hours and obscures a tree six feet away.

I believed that David was an experienced mountain man; I found out later that he lacked a necessaryreverence, a respect for the mountains. He had not told anyone where we were going and we should neverhave left the cabin when the snow began on that Friday morning.

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The survival hut sketch made byJohn Hix during the flight back toToronto from Vancouver.

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The Inuit have many names for the subtle nuances of snow. This waslike wading in white mud and I wondered what they might havecalled it. It was heavy, wet and thick with no base to support us; wesank to above our knees. My favourite wood skis, purchased inNorway in the 60’s, were the narrow racing recreational style, not theheavy wide mountain type needed for these conditions.

Though we could not see, our descent seemed to be going well; wewere slowly plodding through the forest and being methodicallyguided by the illusive red flags that appeared just in time across thenumerous meadows.

At around noon we left the dark edges of the forest trail and entereda meadow. I imagined it fragrant with heather, flowers and warm sunin the summer. There were no flags. We could not see anything; thesnow and the sky merged together in a sea of white. We headed downthe sloping meadow to where we imagined the trail might re-enterthe forest.

When we found the forest edge, we could not find an opening. Wescoured back and forth for nearly an hour; it was snowing furiously.It was now 1:30 in the afternoon and we were running out of time,for in early December it is dark at 3:45.

We recalled on our way up, that we had seen zigzag fire roads whichhad been cut into the forested slope. We decided to head straightdown through the forest hoping to cross a fire road and follow it tosafety. When you are frightened, you ski very well. I began to lead,skiing now thigh deep amongst the largest tree trunks I had ever seen.They were at least eight feet in diameter and seemed hundreds of feettall, though I could not see branches above. As I struggleddownward, not knowing where I was going and literally out ofcontrol in this menacing environment of giant cedars, I felt small andinsignificant. The houses that I design are always scaled to humanproportions. Here, I was like an insect, out of scale in this cathedralof trees.

David remained well behind and I didn’t understand why until Imade my way back to him. His ski binding had snapped in a fall andhis ski had disappeared. Lanky, he looked like a wounded giraffe inquick sand trying to free itself. Never lose your ski.

Light was dimming quickly. I went on ahead to find the fire road Ihad in mind. I cascaded down as fast as I could, but suddenly, theslope reversed to a near vertical wall before me. I had led us into aravine; it was 3:30 and the light was dim. It would be dark in 15minutes.

David was lean and strong, but without a ski he could not maneuver.When Norwegians ski in the mountains, they often carry a smallcollapsible shovel in their packs for survival. Norway’s mountainsare also next to an ocean that can cause dramatic and fickle weatherchange. “Dig you down,” my Norwegian friends reminded me.Many have survived that unforgiving climate with a shovel.

We had no shovel, but I knew we would have to shelter under thesnow. We dug under a small fir tree lying horizontal, bent by thesnow’s weight, and found a linear cavity and enlarged it. Our clothesand the sleeping bags were soaking wet, the air temperature washovering at freezing, and it was still snowing. We laid wet clothingon hurriedly torn cedar bows to form a mattress and crawled intoour wet bags. It was now dark.

I was soaked and began to shake with the cold. It became clear thatwe must cling together and share our body heat. In his book, OnGrowth and Form, biologist D’Arcy Thompson discusses the cubesquared laws: the larger the object, in this case two people huddledtogether, the smaller the ratio of the heat loss surface area to thevolume; one reason why large whales can endure Arctic waters.

David is well over six feet, very trim and bony. After lying therewrapped together, it struck me how comfortable and supple arewomen’s bodies. That night we lay together with one wet sleepingbag below and our feet crammed into a single mummy bag with thezipper open, like a light quilt, and all our wet clothing piled on top.

Melt from our body heat dripped from the snow on the branchesabove us. I could not sleep. We often think that we are in controlof our environment; this is false, but comforting. I was definitelyout of control of this environment, my life was determined by theweather. If the temperatures dropped our clothes would freeze and,in turn, so would we. It would be light at 7:00 a.m.; those 15 hourswere the longest of my life. Luckily the temperature hovered atfreezing all night but about 12 more inches of snow had fallen.

I heard a jet flying over at about 11 p.m., probably a flight fromLondon to Vancouver. I imagined that the movie was over and somepassengers were finishing their last martinis before touch down. Ithought how close I was to that plane, yet so far away. I keptthinking about my wife Neeva Gayle and sending her messages inmy thoughts. She claims to have received them. Unfortunately, wehad been unclear when we would return, either Friday afternoon oras late as Saturday. When you go into the mountains tell everyonewhere you are going and when you will be back. Unfortunately, wehad not done that.

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The next morning found us fogged in and the temperature remainedjust above freezing. Everything was wet. There was so much snowthat when we moved between these smaller trees our heads were atbranch levels some 20 feet above the ground. Without a ski, Davidwas not mobile. I set out from the ravine to find a clearing; where ahelicopter could see us, I thought. I found a clearing with abranchless dead cedar trunk standing in the middle. It would be thecornerstone, the anchor for our shelter. I skied back and broughtDavid to it.

We had no food or water. When we melted snow in a bottle againstthe warmth of our stomachs, we lost body heat and began to shake.We had a choice, to be thirsty or melt snow, drink cold water, andshake. We chose not to drink. We were active and stayed warmbuilding the shelter that we knew we needed. We began constructionat about 8 a.m. I was the master builder and David, who is muchstronger , fetched branches and wood and was assistant snow mason.He found another dead hollow cedar tree and pushed it over. Itfractured into long 2 x10 like planks. These irregular boards becamethe roof that supported the cedar boughs. One of these boards Iwould later whittle into a crude snow shoe for David’s ski-less foot.

We had no shovels like the smart Norwegians so we fashioned thewalls of wet snow into a rectangle using cooking pans and our hands.When the walls would freeze, our house would be solid as rock.

When I was a boy, my Dad and I made snow shelters hollowed fromsnow drifts that formed around our farm house on the Iowa prairie.We always used a gunny sack for the door, laid straw as the floor, andfroze sheets of ice in square pans for the windows. We separated theice from its pan by putting it on top of the oil burning stove thatheated our old farm house. I longed for that remembered warmth.

Our shelter was sized to accommodate two; and we were now verytired. The urge to survive, however, was so strong that this fatigue didnot seem a problem. I remarked to David that I was surprised Iwasn’t hungry, only thirsty.

I excavated the floor and built the walls about 4 feet high. When wewere nearly finished at about 1 p.m., the skies cleared, the sun wasdazzling, and the temperatures dropped rapidly. It was very, very coldbut there was no wind and no sound except for a bird, a whiskey jackthat we tried to catch for food. It had no fear and taunted us. Wewere unsuccessful.

David worked furiously bringing planks and boughs from the forestedge. He was so concentrated on this that he did not notice that histoes were freezing. The next morning his toes were frost bitten.

Still, we were lucky that the opportunity to build the walls with softwet snow came before this dramatic drop in temperature. If we hadawakened to the cold temperatures, we would not have been able tobuild a shelter.

In my architecture I have always been conscious of the position ofthe Sun and solar heating. I knew that cold temperatures meant lowhumidity and that freezing dries. We stretched the wet clothes andsleeping bags between our four ski poles; the two hours of strongsunlight combined with the cold temperatures dried everything.

We did have waterproof matches, the kind you buy in outfitter andcamping stores that are no good when the striker on the side of thebox is wet. If I could dry the striker then I could start a fire. As asolar architect, I knew that orienting the striker to the sun rays at 90degrees for maximum efficiency would dry it. While we werebuilding the roof and putting down a mattress of cedar boughs, Ivisited the match box every 15 minutes to maintain the angle to thesun. The striker dried.

When you build a fire on top of 15 feet of snow and leave itunattended, you often find that it has melted 4 or 5 feet below thefloor. The only semi-dry material we could find was the bark on thecedar trees, the boughs were soaked. We suspended a cooking potfrom a branch we pushed into the snow wall inside our house. Thememory of that aroma of smoldering cedar bark will remain withme forever.

I had made an opening in the wall but I had no door, so I laid mywet pajama top flat on the snow with the arms out to the sides. Itfroze into a neat door panel with arms that I hinged on sticks on eachside and above the opening. The frozen pajama door kept out anywind when we anchored it with a back pack at the bottom to keepit from lifting.

Inside our house, the boughs on the snow floor were comfortable,but then you know and I know that everything is relative. Ourclothes and sleeping bags were dry. Night began again at 3:45 p.m.and as I looked up through an opening in the roof of cedar planksand boughs to the stars in the black sky, I was warm and tired. I sleptfor 12 hours.

Sunday morning David complained that his toes were painful fromthe frost bite. He stayed in the house, unable to walk without pain,and I spent the morning carving through a cedar plank making snowshoe for him. I had a small pen knife and it took me several hours. Icut two notches on each side of the board for straps. We had resolved,given the clearness of the day, that we would try to walk to safety.

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As I was cutting the straps off my back pack for the crude shoe, Iheard a helicopter below in the distance. From our clearing in theforest, it looked like one of the dragon flies that searches for prey overour Ontario pond each summer. It would hover, move to the left,then to the right and hover. They were clearly trying to find us.

As it approached, I became very excited and skied around the clearingtrying to make movement and tracks that would catch theirattention. The helicopter came closer, back and forth, hovering,looking. Then it disappeared in the steep slope below us only toreappear right on top of me. However, they did not see me from thisroaring machine with a grasshopper nose as it flew over and headedup to the Elfin cabin, for they obviously had found our car in theparking lot somewhere below.

My heart sank. I went back to the back pack straps and the snowshoe. I had cut them off when I again heard the helicopter. It flewover us twice before the pilot and the park ranger saw the tracks wehad randomly made in the snow. It was hovering in circles aroundthe clearing, a small meadow amongst the enormous trees. We werefound.

When they landed the officer jumped out and sank to his waist in thefreshly crusted snow. He looked up to me as I stood elevated on myskis and asked if I was John Hix. With tears of relief streaming downmy face I nodded. “Then you have only one hour to get to yourflight back to Toronto.” The humor in his message told me that mywife, Neeva Gayle, had pestered them until they were convinced thatwe were really lost in the mountains. My wife can be very persistent.

I asked the pilot whether it was the red over-pants on the dead treein the middle of the clearing that had caught his eye. He said that itwas the tracks we had made. He pulled the pants down from the treeand stuffed them into the helicopter. David had to be helped aboard.

Before we lifted off, I retrieved the snow shoe that I had whittledfrom the cedar plank for David. Today, this piece of wood rests onthe fireplace mantel in our cabin by the dragon-fly pond, a calmingreminder to me of how fragile life can be.

The pilot made a pass over our survival house to show us what he hadseen from the air. He remarked to the ranger, “That house looks justlike a Hilton hotel”. It had been more than any Hilton could be, ithad saved our lives.

It took only ten minutes to fly us back to the parking lot where ourcar was hidden under the snow. The pilot and ranger said goodbyeand the helicopter flew off. When we landed, there was a rescue team

of more than a dozen men waiting and two rescue dogs. I rememberthat one dog was named Radar, for this was avalanche season. Therescue team asked if we were ok. I said, “Yes, I think so, except forDavid’s feet and the fact that we’ve had no food or water for nearlythree days.”

The two sleds that the rescue volunteers pulled behind them werefitted with body bags. Given the weather conditions, they hadjudged we had a ten percent chance of survival and expected theworst.

They helped clean the deep snow off our car, pushed it out into aclearing, gave us some water, and I drove David to the hospital inVancouver, the car heater set on high. The car was like a sauna andit felt wonderful.

Back in Vancouver, I soaked in a hot bath followed by a feast ofmashed potatoes and water. I had lost thirteen pounds, mainly fromdehydration. At first, I was not hungry, my will to survive hadmasked it. But now I craved carbohydrates and devoured moundsof mashed potatoes and butter.

The experience had humbled me. David, much to my amazement,masked his feelings. He inferred that we were just back from anaverage Sunday picnic, frost bitten toes and all. He told me he hadendured several mishaps like this in the wild both on land and water.Despite what we had been through, he seemed to have a cavalierdisdain for Nature’s force. In contrast to this, I reflected how myfriend Shan Walshe, the famous Ontario naturalist at Quetico Park,had such a deep respect for Nature that he always canoed with extras;knife, axe, sleeping bag and tent because he knew how vulnerable hecould be in the wild.

Neeva Gayle had saved my life with her persistence. My Dad hadhelped, too, when he showed me how to make an Iowa snowdriftcomfortable. My knowledge of climate, the sun, and love ofarchitecture had paid off in spades

Since my mountain survival, whenever my wife observes that I amoff track and I lose my positive thrust, she simply repeats a certainmeaningful phrase for me. I then remember how vulnerable ourlives really are during this fleeting moment on Earth. That thoughthelps me shift perspective and the day to day challenges becomesolvable. I return to the fundamental principles like a response tothe forces in Nature that can make architecture wonderfullymeaningful. And what was that phrase? ”Remember the Hilton !”.

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JOHN HIX ARCHITECTOAA NCARB Arquitecto Licenciado Puerto Rico5831 6th Line RR3, Tottenham, Ontario LOG 1WOwww.johnhixarchitect.comwww.hixislandhouse.com

Awards

2012 Award Puerto Rico’s first Sustainable Tourism Facility, PR Tourism Company San Juan, Puerto Rico.2011-12 Award Green Hotel Award, Hix Island House, PR Hotel Tourism Assoc. San Juan, Puerto Rico.2010-11 Award Green Hotel Award, Hix Island House, PR Hotel Tourism Assoc. San Juan, Puerto Rico.2005-6 Award Green Hotel Award, Hix Island House, PR Hotel Tourism Assoc. San Juan, Puerto Rico.2002 Award U.S. EPA Environmental Quality Award hotel Vieques, P.R. New York, N.Y.1996 Award Canadian Wood Council, Architectural Studio Tottenham, Ont.1996 Award Canadian Wood Council, Environmental Learning Centre Utopia, Ont.1995 Award YMCA Camp PineCrest Central Facility Torrance, Ont.1993 Award AIA Design for a Sustainable Community Washington, D.C.1993 First Award OAA Environmental Learning Centre Utopia, Ont.1989 First Award OAA Residential Design Award Thunder Beach, Ont.1988 First Award OAA Visitors Centre Quetico Park Atikokan, Ont.1987 First Award Ontario Ministry of Housing Renews Awards Lake Simcoe, Ont.1987 Hon. Mention OAA Residential Design Award Toronto, Ont.1986 Award Governor General's, Visitors Centre Quetico Park Atikokan, Ont.1986 First Award OAA Design Excellence Alpha House Tottenham, Ont.1985 Hon. Mention Ministry of Housing, Ont. Renews Award Toronto, Ont.1985 Second Prize Canadian Wood Council Headquarters Ottawa, Ont.1984 Award Canadian Architect, Visitors Centre, Quetico Park Atikokan, Ont.1983 First Award Canadian Housing Design Council, Residential Design Ottawa, Ont1982 Prize Winner Ministry of Energy, Energy Efficient Townhouses Hamilton, Ont.1981 First Prize Ministry of Natural Resources, Visitors Centre Petroglyphs, Ont.1980 Award Public Works Canada, Low Energy Office Sherbrooke, Que.1980 Award Public Works Canada, Low Energy Commercial Regina, Sask.1978 Award Canadian Architect, Energy Conserving Community South March, Ont.1978 First Prize Ontario Housing Corporation Solar Multiple Housing Aylmer, Ont.1972 Second Prize Innovative Multiple Housing Competition Huddersfield, Great Britain1972 First Prize Innovative Multiple Housing Competition Huddersfield, Great Britain1968 Buyers Prize Norway Flexible Housing Competition Oslo, Norway1967 Buyers Prize City Hall Competition Malmö, Sweden1966 First Prize Blount Corp. Headquarters Competition Montgomery, Alabama

John Hix received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Architecture from University of Pennsylvania underLouis Kahn, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Iowa State University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and theRoyal Society of Arts, London. He has taught in North Carolina, London, Trondheim, Cambridge, and Toronto. He is the author of TheGlass House, Phaidon Press, London. His firm has designed 35 institutional projects, 25 multiple residential, 65 custom homes, 40renovations and additions, and 18 government consulting and research projects. A complete resume and project list can be found atwww.johnhixarchitect.com. HIX

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INNATUREJohn Hix is one of those rare contemporary

architects who has converted environmentaltechnology, ecologically responsible choiceof materials, and a strong earthconsciousness into art. The site area,regional topography, local vegetation andconstruction methods are intrinsic parts ofhis aesthetic decisions. His unifyingsensibility has been defined by ourknowledge that, if we are to survive as aspecies, the damage wrought by massiveenergy consumption must be reversed. Hisbuildings are based on the understanding ofthe unique qualities of each situation ratherthan an adherence to some prescriptive setof forms endorsed by a fashionablemovement or the comfortable reassurancesof an easily accessible design vocabulary.

John Hix Architect Ltd.5831 6th Line RR3Tottenham, Ontario, L0G 1W0www.johnhixarchitect.comwww.hixislandhouse.com

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INNATUREJohn Hix is one of those rare contemporary

architects who has converted environmentaltechnology, ecologically responsible choiceof materials, and a strong earthconsciousness into art. The site area,regional topography, local vegetation andconstruction methods are intrinsic parts ofhis aesthetic decisions. His unifyingsensibility has been defined by ourknowledge that, if we are to survive as aspecies, the damage wrought by massiveenergy consumption must be reversed. Hisbuildings are based on the understanding ofthe unique qualities of each situation ratherthan an adherence to some prescriptive setof forms endorsed by a fashionablemovement or the comfortable reassurancesof an easily accessible design vocabulary.

John Hix Architect Ltd.5831 6th Line RR3Tottenham, Ontario, L0G 1W0www.johnhixarchitect.comwww.hixislandhouse.com