Strauch-Haus
Bend, Oregon

The Strauch-Haus rests on the edge of a wooded area overlooking a high desert prarie. The diagramming process analyzed the program and needs of the two owners in effort to resolve a cohesive experiential sequencing of spaces, suggest massing arrangements, and uncover elevational compositions. The abstraction of the program is made in effort to make the two paths, the movement, and the connections become an extension of the landscape.

As the building takes form, the graphic maps and modeled paths begin to prescribe how the structure relates to the surrounding context. A patterning of thin floor-to-ceiling windows connects the structure to the neighboring forestry by continuing the visual event of a body passing through the forest.

Thick ICF walls, radiant heated concrete floors, a high velocity/low volume AC system, and Evacuated Tube solar water heaters help this home establish an incredible level of energy efficiency and comfort. Vertical grain Douglas Fir and hand troweled cement plaster finishes further enhance the warmth and character of this cozy, modern residence.

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