Westgate Estate

The design of this home is greatly influenced by its eight-acre site. Its tiered levels respond to the topography, and the branching floor plan is oriented to the 270-degree vista of the Cascade mountains.

Clerestory windows under the gently sloping roof of the central pavilion gradually increase in height, pulling the eye through the house and into the landscape. Slipping out from under the roofline of the main structure, three additional pavilions create interior courtyards that frame views of the sky as well as mountain panoramas.

Louvered walls, glazed corridors, and skylights also contribute to the home's varied and sublime spatial and visual experiences. Notably from the sunken living room, seated visitors enjoy an eyelevel view of the surrounding grassland, an unexpected perspective that reinforces the home's intimate connection to the land.

Drawn largely from nature, the materials palette is both striking and serene. Sheathed in vertical planks of shou sugi ban (charred cedar), the dark exterior contrasts with lighter-toned but still earthy interior finishes of white oak, board-formed concrete, and plaster.