Badruka

The community of Landfall in Wilmington is bordered on the north by Howe Creek, with a wide, expansive grass filled tidal marsh.  Most water-oriented properties in this community have been developed, this lot being an exception due to the Federal wetlands located in the middle of the rear of the site, and extreme topography, most of which is located below the flood zone elevation.  It is a bargain lot with enough difficult obstacles to warrant a not so obvious solution for its development.

The 5,000 s.f. home is planned to integrate into the watershed by dividing the program into three distinct parts.  Two wings project outward over the falling topography, splaying outward to avoid wetlands and maximize views.  These two wings house the master suite and cabana to the east, and the guest suites and entry to the west.  These two wings are connected with the common spaces and a dining room which hovers over a pond in the entry court.

All rooflines direct water runoff to oversized scuppers. These scuppers drain into concrete basins where the runoff is directed into the manmade pond or channeled around the site through manmade dry stream beds to filter and potentially drain the runoff into the sandy soil before it reaches the fragile Howe Creek ecosystem.

Topography is used for the placement of the garage under the house where flood waters are free to flow through concrete block foundations with flood vents. The manmade landscape enters the house through the front entry and extends to the rear of the house where it stops at the natural landscape.  The natural landscape wraps around the house into the front yard where it meets the manmade landscape.