Located on a remote 10 acre site comprised of Sage & Juniper trees in Central Oregon, the Whitten Residence is conceived as two simple cubes in the landscape, one box for sleeping and one for living, the structure offers two distinct means of interaction with the landscape. The sleeping box is low & burrowed into earth, while the living box floats above, hovering just at treetop level.
Considering the harsh environment, exterior materials were chosen for durability against the extreme climate and risk for forest fire. All rainwater will be harvested & stored for landscaping or firefighting purposes. The pool provides an additional margin of wildfire safety as a usable body of water on the remote site. Evacuated tube solar water heaters efficiently provide most of the heating for the home through in-floor radiant tubing.
Architects: PIQUE llc
Location: Tumalo, OR, USA
Structural Engineer: Elemental Engineering llc
Contractor: R&H Construction
Project year: 2009
Photographs: Peter Jahnke
