Moose Road / Mork-Ulnes Architects

Curated by Igor Fracalossi
May 18, 2019

Architects: Mork-Ulnes Architects
Area: 1140.0 ft²
Year: 2013
Photographs: Bruce Damonte
Manufacturers: VELUX Commercial, Acuity Brands, All Weather Architectural Aluminum, Duro-Last, Lithonia Lighting, Morso, Panda Windows & Doors, PaperStone, Semco, CB2, CB2 Utility Pendant lights, Crossgrain, Flashing by Western Metal Deck, Lithonia Flourescent Strip Lights, Mathiesen, Mathiesen®, Noritz, OSB Flooring throughout, Paneling, Rezibond Rustwall +3 Tyvek, Western Metal Deck, semco Modern Seamless Surface -3

Text description provided by the architects. Three locally known land formations can be seen from the site of this project: “Eagle Rock”, a mountain ridge, and the valley of vineyards below. The main challenge was to frame these three separate views while at the same time, preserving each existing oak tree on site. The three fingers extend precisely in between the existing trees, each oriented toward a land formation.

The house was constructed on steel stilts to avoid severing tree roots.   To cut cost as well as meet sustainability goals of the clients, the building was designed using standard sized, off the shelf sheet-goods (unfinished plywood and OSB) to minimize waste. The building was accomplished with a tiny budget (by California standards) at under $190 per square foot.