Mighty Arrow House

Design Challenge

The biggest design challenge was the Clients request to have a humble house that ‘sits light on the land and does not call attention to itself’.  This was accomplished by breaking the house into 3 wings to appear as mere accessory outbuildings similar in scale to the existing farm sheds on the Site. Approaching from a distance, the discreet low massing of these wings appear to barely emerge from the meadow.  Using traditional rural materials of rusted metal, concrete and darkened wood also helps the home to blend and recede into the landscape.    When entering the home visitors are surprised that the house is 2500 sf.

Physical Context

PHYSICAL CONTEXT: We believe new houses will expose themselves - materialize from the dirt - if we listen closely to the Site.  To best hear what the land has to say, we camped there to fully understand the setting and micro climate. We located our tent in a grass meadow in the center of the site. There were views in each direction…mountains to the east, a rock outcropping to the west, and a conifer forest to the north. These views were all pristine and ‘wild’. The south view had vineyards and the original turn of the century farmhouse. This view was domesticated and ‘tame’. ­­­In the warm late afternoon coastal breezes picked up from the west providing a welcome cooling. Evening showed the mountains lit orange by the sunset. A bobcat was spotted on the Forest edge. At night the air became still and we were able to enjoy the brilliant starry sky slowly obscured by the fog rolling in. We went to sleep in complete dampened silence only to be woken by the hooting of great horned owls. The morning was chilled and wet. By 10am the sun burned through so we faced our chairs south to feel its warmth.  The views of the distant mountains and the nearby forest became crystal clear. By early afternoon we went in search of shade so walked into the forest. By evening the fog again rolled in and the cycle repeated itself. The resulting house is the product of this experience. The discreet massing of the house appears to barely emerge from the land. The 2400 sf design incorporates 3 smaller wings arranged to form a south facing courtyard for maximum solar exposure and shelter from northerly winds. This is the ‘tame’ communal side protected from the surrounding ‘wilds’. This is where the action is with people gathering, swimming, socializing. It’s inviting open arms act as the welcoming ‘threshold’ to the home. It has breezeways to allow coastal winds for summer cooling and aperatures to views to the wilds. The shady east patio provides respite from the sun and allows for an outdoor eating area focused on eastern mountain sunsets.  Interior spaces are single loaded to take advantage of daylighting and views on all four sides of each wing. Windows are focusd on views distant and near. Natural warm materials (Concrete, Corten, shou suji ban cladding) were chosen for fire resiliency, low maintenance and to recede into the background.  The landscaping concept was to use only native, drought tolerant plantings on the tame side. The wild side was to remain untouched with only native grasses.