OKOBOJI RESIDENCE
small + beautiful

The Okoboji residence sits atop a steep bank overlooking the West Lake of Okoboji. The site design responds to the architecture, aligning horizontal elements such as paths, parking and plantings to vertical architectural elements such as doors, windows, and walls. A strong central axis guides users from the front parking area through the house providing direct access to the lakeshore. The lakeshore, once overgrown and largely inaccessible, has been given a major facelift through the addition of granite-veneered retaining walls and designed planting areas for native perennials grasses and forbes. Walls on the lakeshore embankment provide aesthetic value, accessibility, and most importantly function with plantings as a stabilization measure for an unusually steep slope. Preservation of mature oak trees was a major influence on the design.