While evergreen forests and moss-covered rocks often colour conceptions of the Pacific Northwest, the landscape of the region is much more varied. In central Oregon, fir and pine trees give way to rocky outcrops in the high desert terrain, where lava beds from ancient volcanos colour a dryer, colder landscape. Long fascinated with the climate and geology of this part of the northwest, local architect Corey Martin of the Portland firm Hacker designed a family home in Bend inspired by the surroundings.

“This project is part of an ongoing exploration of how architecture can enhance connection to this landscape,” says Martin, a principal designer at Hacker. Set on a bluff, the 7,600-square-foot home gently descends the hillside, which is dotted with volcanic rock.

“The climate and geology of central Oregon create a stunningly beautiful, fragile, and unique ecosystem,” Martin says. “This home is in a region where gentle topography was shaped by relatively recent pumice eruptions, blanketing the underlying layer of lava in light, porous pumice.” Inspired by this unusual geology, where black lava flows emerge from green forests and columnar basalt cliffs frame rushing rivers, Martin designed the home as a sculptural abstraction of the landscape.

Across three levels, the home combines spaces for the family to gather alongside more private living quarters. Throughout, living spaces take a minimalist approach, emphasizing elemental materials such as wood, concrete, and stone. This allows the family’s modern art and design collection to become the focal point, including a collection of vintage Dansk pepper grinders that line the shelves of a lounge area on the upper floor.

Throughout, interior floor and ceiling planes continue to the home’s exterior, enhancing the connection between inside and out. “When moving through the home, you alternate between spaces between, spaces inside, and spaces under the sky,” Martin notes. “It almost feels like you are outside, with varying options for how many layers are between you and the landscape.”

Outside, many of the exterior structures are clad in coarse wooden slats, offering a textural layer inspired by the trees dotting the landscape. “The exterior cedar battens and louvres, with their rough, weathered texture, take inspiration from the nearby weathered snags, or standing dead trees,” Martin explains. “Inside, white oak evokes the fresh-cut, untouched core of these snags.” All wood species for the home were regionally sourced, further rooting the home in its context.

Ultimately, the home aspires to be more than a place for living. The combination of forms and the play of light inside and out makes the structure akin to a piece of modern art. “I love how the house blurs the line between sculpture and architecture,” Martin says. “It’s about enhancing connection with the sublimely beautiful landscape of central Oregon.”

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