Sky Ranch House


Arrival at the site, part of a twelve acre hillside property in Central California, is through a grove of live oaks that open up to a clearing with an expansive view. The project, a live-work house for two graphic designers, is conceived around a number of different experiences, views, and considerations for activities.

The family of forms developed for Sky Ranch House is abstract and ambiguous, not tied to one specific style or antecedent, but suggesting many. They are further transformed by their juxtaposition to one another, suggesting readings that heighten one’s awareness of differences in scale, material, and method of construction. The FRAME, a steel frame structure open to the light and view on all sides, contains the primary residential functions of the house. It is a neutral container, with elements forming their own spaces within. The BAR, a wood frame construction representing a slice through the landscape, is a neutral shed for entry, storage, and services, and contains study/studio spaces at either end. Emblematic of silos and the machines of farm production, the FIGURE, wrapped in corrugated metal, is an object that is molded to fit the site, having been pushed and pulled in response to its circumstances.