Situated in the postcard landscape of Eastern Washington the West Bar house is designed to serve the outdoor-oriented lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. Currently under construction, the home will be built with a resilient structure of oxidized steel, to be prefabricated and stilted over the sloping terrain. This way it will withstand the harsh climatic conditions of the once-glacial landscape while sensitively occupying its site. The dwelling will overlook the Columbia River, carved over time by sweeping floods over vast, ancient lava flows.

The dramatic landscape greatly informed the design, calling for a structure which would elevate the home over its slope and minimize excavation work. Emphasizing the importance of this steel structure, the structure is exposed as an expressive exterior element. A difficult on-site construction would be unavoidable with the remoteness of the area. With this in mind, the team developed the steel frame as a kit-of-parts to be fabricated off-site, delivered, and quickly assembled. The entire 3,200-square-foot home will be enclosed by a single sloping roof. This element is designed as an array of repeating timber beams, which will also precisely fabricated off-site.