Studhorse
Studhorse Lot size: 871, 200 SF Building size: 4,078 SF Winthrop, Washington Residential
Set in the remote Methow Valley, Studhorse responds to the clients’ desire to experience and interact with the environment throughout all four seasons. The house is composed of four separate detached structures around a central courtyard. Each structure is rotated toward different dramatic elements in the surrounding landscape such as the nearby Studhorse Ridge and Pearrygin Lake. Public areas, including the family room, kitchen and bar are grouped together in the main building. Private areas – the master bedroom, kids’ bedroom, and den – are separated in an adjacent structure, with guest rooms in yet another, isolated to allow for independent use. A fourth structure houses a sauna, removed from the cluster of activity frames a view looking out over the valley below. Studhorse is designed with the idea that the experience of place is paramount. Traditional boundaries between the built structures and their surroundings are purposefully blurred—large expanses of walls slide, pivot and raise to open the structures to the outside—reminding the clients to experience the site and nature. With the four buildings oriented to spill open to the central courtyard, the design is oriented toward family life and entertaining. Tough, durable building materials, mostly mild steel and glass, were used to stand up to harsh environmental conditions that include hot, fire-prone summers and winters with heavy snow pack. The wood siding used throughout the project was salvaged from an old barn. The varying tones of the wood reveal its history and use. Over time as the wood and steel weather, the home will become more and more muted in appearance, blending into the landscape.
Boundaries between site and structure are broken down, large expanses of walls slide, pivot and raise to open the structures to the outside
Four small buildings are scattered around a central courtyard and pool creating an outdoor living and gathering space
Geothermal heat pumps are used for both heating and cooling and drastically reduce energy usage, predicted EUI is 7.4 kBTU/sf/yr below the AIA 2030 Challenge national average for a single family residence
Wood siding was salvaged from a nearby barn slated for demolition, other materials were chosen for their low maintenance characteristics
The the ability to passively cool the house was an important design response to the region’s hot, dry summer, forty percent of the glazed elements are operable, which maximizes natural ventilation
3 2 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10’ 30’
Upper Level Plan Site Plan
5
8
MASTER BEDROOM BATH BEDROOM MUDROOM GUEST ROOM KITCHEN/WET BAR LIVING/DINING DEN POOL/HOT TUB
4 7
10’
6
5
Section Looking East 9
10’
10’
Section Looking Southeast
Lower Level Plan
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
MASTER BEDROOM BATH BEDROOM MUDROOM GUEST ROOM KITCHEN/WET BAR LIVING/DINING DEN POOL/HOT TUB
Set in the remote Methow Valley, Studhorse responds to the clients’ desire to experience and interact with the environment throughout all four seasons. The house is composed of four separate detached structures around a central courtyard. Each structure is rotated toward different dramatic elements in the surrounding landscape such as the nearby Studhorse Ridge and Pearrygin Lake. Public areas, including the family room, kitchen and bar are grouped together in the main building. Private areas – the master bedroom, kids’ bedroom, and den – are separated in an adjacent structure, with guest rooms in yet another, isolated to allow for independent use. A fourth structure houses a sauna, removed from the cluster of activity frames a view looking out over the valley below. Studhorse is designed with the idea that the experience of place is paramount. Traditional boundaries between the built structures and their surroundings are purposefully blurred—large expanses of walls slide, pivot and raise to open the structures to the outside—reminding the clients to experience the site and nature. With the four buildings oriented to spill open to the central courtyard, the design is oriented toward family life and entertaining. Tough, durable building materials, mostly mild steel and glass, were used to stand up to harsh environmental conditions that include hot, fire-prone summers and winters with heavy snow pack. The wood siding used throughout the project was salvaged from an old barn. The varying tones of the wood reveal its history and use. Over time as the wood and steel weather, the home will become more and more muted in appearance, blending into the landscape.
Boundaries between site and structure are broken down, large expanses of walls slide, pivot and raise to open the structures to the outside
Four small buildings are scattered around a central courtyard and pool creating an outdoor living and gathering space
Geothermal heat pumps are used for both heating and cooling and drastically reduce energy usage, predicted EUI is 7.4 kBTU/sf/yr below the AIA 2030 Challenge national average for a single family residence
Wood siding was salvaged from a nearby barn slated for demolition, other materials were chosen for their low maintenance characteristics
The the ability to passively cool the house was an important design response to the region’s hot, dry summer, forty percent of the glazed elements are operable, which maximizes natural ventilation
3 2 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10’ 30’
Upper Level Plan Site Plan
5
8
MASTER BEDROOM BATH BEDROOM MUDROOM GUEST ROOM KITCHEN/WET BAR LIVING/DINING DEN POOL/HOT TUB
4 7
10’
6
5
Section Looking East 9
10’
10’
Section Looking Southeast
Lower Level Plan
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
MASTER BEDROOM BATH BEDROOM MUDROOM GUEST ROOM KITCHEN/WET BAR LIVING/DINING DEN POOL/HOT TUB
