Working with an real estate investor/developer client who needed to make the most out of a small corner lot on the westside of Bend, Oregon, Dylan Woock, Life Design Build’s Head of Design, took a collaborative approach to bring this interpretation of the High Desert Vernacular to life.  

Located in Bend’s new and upcoming Discovery West neighborhood, the ask was to design a contemporary High Desert home that would allow for wheelchair accessibility, lot’s of natural daylight and privacy in a neighborhood with tight setbacks and limits on buildable area. The core concept of the house started by looking to the landscape of Discovery West, weaving in elements of the high plateau volcanic landscape by using the form of the house to recall a basaltic outcropping emerging from the desert steppe and sagebrush.  

Functionally this translated to a low-slung single pitch structure that maximizes the property’s lot coverage, that was then carved out to provide dynamic spaces, including a private and sheltered courtyard to the North and covered entries. Large glazing placed along the roofline maximized privacy, while letting in moments of sun, sky, and the surrounding forest landscape. All-in-all the form and materials selections made for an highly economic build process, but also doubled as a house that was conscious of wildfire threats by using fire-wise materials like fiber-cement siding, metal roofing and concrete.

Project Team

Lead Designer: Dylan Woock