Anice Hoachlander
RANDALL KIPP
Fifteen years ago, Randall Kipp designed a house at the edge of the world.
Located on a lush, overgrown lot on Windmill Point, Kipp knew that if ever a big storm rolled in off the Chesapeake Bay, whatever was built there was going be hit and perhaps even washed away.
Rather than consider the lot unbuildable, Kipp planned accordingly, designing a two-story home wrapped around a steel frame anchored to oversized concrete footings buried deep in the sand. The notion was that even if high water flooded the lower level, and potentially washed it away, the upper level would remain undisturbed and still livable. The living room, kitchen, dining room, pantry, primary bedroom and bath are located on the upper level. The lower-level spaces— guest bedroom, laundry and screened porch—are ones Kipp considers expendable.
The floor-to-ceiling glass on the southern side of the home frames tremendous views of the Chesapeake Bay. Kipp designed the house with concrete floors, a geothermal heating system and solar collectors on the flat roof, resulting in electric bills averaging between $3 and $8 monthly.
Anice Hoachlander
Anice Hoachlander
Anice Hoachlander
The upper floor windows are set back six feet from the exterior façade, providing a light shelf that prevents sunlight from entering the building during summer when the sun is high in the sky while allowing it deep into the building during winter when the sun is much lower. Winter sunlight passing through the glass is absorbed and stored in concrete slabs, with that energy then released at night once the sun sets, passively heating the home. “There’s a real efficiency about this house,” says Kipp.
Inside, Kipp designed the 3,000-square- foot house for two people and one small dog with a minimum of walls. The primary bathroom and bedroom are one space—only the toilet and dressing rooms offer privacy—with the bed and bathtub both having the same stunning view of the Bay. “The house allows for an ease and comfort of living with large spaces and appropriate ceiling heights,” he says. “It didn’t need to be any bigger to live as a couple and the open plan allows for more conversation no matter where you are.”
“A home should always respect the environment it’s built in,” Kipp says, “not be in opposition to it.”
Randall Kipp Architecture, Inc.
Office: 804-438-6287
81 King Carter Drive
Irvington, Virginia 22480
