Located in Northeast Oregon, this small house was conceived by Olson Kundig Architects as a contemporary glass box that floats atop the surrounding wheat fields. The design of the house and the accompanying wood-frame barn responds to the local vernacular of barns and farmhouses in the Pacific Northwest while responding to the client’s deep interest in the design of Philip Johnson’s Glass House.

Facing south towards the distant mountains, the house adapts well to the cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. In the winter, the orientation takes advantage of passive solar heat gain from the low-angled winter sun; in the summer, roof overhangs and a light shelf block the high hot summer sun from entering. Large, operable windows of high-efficiency glass provide cross-ventilation cooling, lessening the house’s need for air-conditioning.

Photos: Tim Bies