Located on Orcas Island, Washington, a forested island known for its natural beauty, quaint hamlets and thriving arts community, iolair is a new artist residency designed by Seattle-based architecture practice GO′C to give artists space for solitude while inviting moments of exchange. Opened in 2025 in the village of Eastsound, the approximately 150-square-metre building is compact in scale but generous in ambition, bringing under one roof a studio, gallery, office and live-in quarters, alongside a sheltered courtyard conceived for gatherings, work and future installations. Often described as the “gem of the San Juans”, Orcas Island has long attracted artists, makers and independent spirits, its cultural landscape encompassing everything from small galleries and local workshops to the oldest studio pottery in the Pacific Northwest. For a foundation dedicated to hosting contemporary artists from around the world and connecting their practice with the local community, the island thus offers both retreat and audience: a place removed enough to foster concentration, yet open and receptive enough for artistic exchange.