Built like wagons circling a campfire
Washington home unfurls in Old West-inspired shapes,
Like wagons circling a campfire, the Studhorse estate in Washington state has four separate living spaces around a shared courtyard.
Located on a 20-acre site in the remote Methow Valley, outside the Old West town of Winthrop, Wash., Studhorse includes 4,000 square feet of living space and takes its name from the nearby Studhorse Ridge Mountains.
The residence’s main pavilion is where the family gathers, and includes the kitchen, bar, dining and living rooms. The second structure has a sitting room/den on the ground floor opening onto the courtyard for outdoor movies. Guest sleeping quarters are located down the hall with the family’s sleeping quarters above. The third structure holds the garage, laundry and storage, and a guest suite separated by a breezeway. The sauna occupies the fourth building.
The property also has a swimming pool that serves as a water reservoir in case of wildfires.
Wood siding used in the project was salvaged from an old barn in nearby Spokane, Wash. Construction materials — mostly steel, glass, concrete and reclaimed wood — were chosen for their resilience against the scorching summer sun and chilly, windy winters.
Studhorse, completed in 2012, took 18 months to design and build.
Architect Tom Kundig, principal of Olson Kundig in Seattle, Wash., answers a few questions about Studhorse:
What inspired your design for this home?
The clients came up with the idea that the house would feel like a vintage motel: a series of buildings around a courtyard. From there, the conversation evolved into the idea of exploring the tradition of circling wagons around a campfire. The clients wanted an open, interior courtyard that encouraged their guests and children to walk from one building to the next in order to engage them in the larger landscape ... Going from building to building is like going from tent to tent.
Were you trying to create a saloon effect with the windows that open to the four bar stools?
We think of it as a nod to Coney Island, where you push a button and the walls open via a hydraulic gizmo. It has turned out to be a particularly successful part of the architecture. Everybody hangs out naturally at the bar, and the fact that you can open it up is important to the inside-outside relationship we were seeking to achieve.
What challenges were there in building the home?
This project didn’t have any major challenges; it was an adventure and fun.
What sustainable features are there?
Our clients love the landscape and are keen on making the smallest impact possible. We worked collaboratively on building orientation, design and selecting the most efficient systems available. By designing several smaller buildings around a central courtyard and pool, we were able to reduce the overall footprint and use as little energy for heating and cooling as possible.
The solar orientation of the buildings and the use of passive cooling systems ensure low energy use. Simple and low-cost technologies used include a ground loop system, also referred to as a geothermal system, in-floor heating using the concrete floors as a thermal mass, and high-performance windows. How will the global COVID-19 pandemic affect architectural design?
At this stage, it’s impossible to predict … Our community is still in an active outbreak and science is racing to catch up. Our clients who live in remote or secluded areas are understandably grateful for the benefit this affords them from a social distancing perspective.
It seems like we’re all taking this current moment as an opportunity to reflect on what was unfolding culturally before the crisis, how those priorities or preoccupations have shifted in our current moment, and what next steps we can take as an industry when this crisis passes.
Overall, we’re optimistic about the future.