As construction begins on a pristine site, it can be painful to watch the earthwork. Carpets of native grasses and flowers are ripped up and certain trees inevitably must be removed to make way for a new house. In the case of Wildflower House, in Washington’s Methow Valley, the site's unspoiled meadows and forest demanded a careful approach.
Architecture firm
PBW Architects
Location
Winthrop, Washington, United States
Photography
Andrew Pogue Photography
Principal architect
Margo Peterson-Aspholm
Collaborators
PBW Architects designed; Carlton Landscaping installed, Site restoration: Methow Natives, “Firewise” forestry work: Brothers Fire
Structural engineer
Lori Brown, Evergreen Engineering
Landscape
Carlton Landscaping installed
Construction
• Super insulated building envelope. • Heat pump mini-split for cooling and filtering air. • Firewise site design. • Native plantings that require no irrigation long-term and help restore the site’s original ecosystem
Material
Metal roof. Siding: Untreated hot rolled steel and stained rough-sawn fir shiplap. Floors: concrete slab on grade with in-floor heat. Countertops: Pental “leathered” black granite. Backsplash: Heath Classic Field Tile Color: kpfa
Typology
Residential › House
Built on 20 acres of working ranch property, the Wandling residence mixes elegant design with Methow practicality. The site could not be more splendid, with gorgeous views of distant mountains, close-in wildflower-clad hills, and… Cows!
Architecture firm
Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects
Location
Winthrop, Washington, USA
Photography
Andrew Pogue Photography
Principal architect
Margo Peterson-Aspholm, Principal Architect, Prentiss + Balance + Wickline
Design team
James Efstathiou, Project Architect, Prentiss + Balance + Wickline
Structural engineer
Lori Brown, Evergreen Design company
Material
• Taylor Metal Standing seam roof • 7/8 corrugated, rusted, blackened steel panel siding • Concrete floors • Sierra Pacific Windows/doors • Caesarstone Fresh Concrete counters and backsplash • Mosa porcelain tile • Interior ceilings and walls – sanded AC plywood, radiata pine
Typology
Residential › Modern Single Family Residential
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects: Perched atop a steep river bank, the Chewuch Cabin offers equal amounts of shelter from and exposure to north-central Washington’s rugged beauty. A high, linear roof gestures emphatically toward the river and foothills beyond, forming a primary axis. A low, rectilinear form intersects, creating a distinctive cr...
Project name
Chewuch River
Architecture firm
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
Location
Winthrop, Washington, United States
Photography
Eirik Johnson, Kes Efstathiou
Principal architect
Tom Lenchek
Design team
Tom Lenchek, Principal Architect. Shawn Kemna, Project Architect. Morgan Law, Project Architect
Structural engineer
Harriott Valentine Engineering
Landscape
Windy Valley Landscaping
Construction
Lost River Construction
Material
Mechanically-seamed metal roof. Siding: Pre-weathered 24 gauge Corrugated Steel. Floors: Concrete. Interior ceilings and walls: Plywood
Typology
Residential › House
