Willow Creek Ranch House
The Willow Creek ranch house is sited on a western facing sloping grassland with amazing 180 degree views of the Tobacco Root mountains in Montana. For their home, the client asked that the design fit so well with the landscape it would almost disappear from view across the valley.
The particular site selected for the home not only captures amazing views provides the opportunity to sculpt a previously disturbed area of the landscape into the entry sequence of the home and access point to the below grade garage. The result is a site design that minimizes the build footprint on native landscape that also provides an intimate entry sequence into the home.
The formal condition of the house evolved not only from the careful site selection and its design slope, but also the client’s interest that the organization of the house function well for a single person but also feel welcoming to visitors for short stays. To accomplish this goal the plan is organized with the primary bedroom suite adjacent to the living, dining and kitchen. The primary suite is tucked away beyond the primary flow of guest to provide a highly private space for relaxation that becomes a private spa experience with a Japanese Onsen and adjacent private courtyard with view to the sky.
The guest wing of three ensuite bedrooms, with coffee bar, is sited like a spoke of wheel off the foyer that can be passed by with little visual experience when not in used, but fully activated when occupied to allow visitors to immediately join the flow of the home. The outcome is a modern ranch home knitted into the slope of the land, at times below grade, at others emerging out of the slope of the land with grass roofs seeded to match the existing flora.
The functional design combines a roof section with thickened insulated assembly that contributes to the move toward a Passive House design concept that is further supported through a highly insulated wall, thermal breaks, and structural system benefited by triple pane windows with views to the west. Solar mitigation from the seasonal western sun patterns will be integrated within the window system design.
