The Expanse

Expansive views immerse home in the high desert

The Expanse’s glass volume floats above the natural landscape, taking in the panoramic views of the Cascades. The home is located on the edge of a conservation area in Bend, Oregon, offering the residents access to world-class skiing and mountain biking areas and the active lifestyle that comes with the high desert. Scott Edwards Architecture’s design breaks down the house’s volumes to be human-scaled and sites the residence in response to a significant slope and maintaining unobstructed views—all while minimizing footprint. The Expanse’s materiality is expressive of place, and blurring the line between the interior and exterior is prioritized through all-season outdoor spaces and architectural features like the glassy, cantilevered great room immersing occupants into the surrounding environment.

Location
Bend, OR

Size
4,350 sf

Year
2024

As part of the neighborhood development, all homes must be hardened against wildfires. SEA incorporated mitigations, such as material selections, fire-rated assemblies, landscape buffers, and thoughtful siting, into our design responding to the increasing occurrence of wildfires in the region.

The Expanse is a multi-family, multi-generational part-time residence directly connected to its surroundings. Strong horizontal lines and a timeless and durable material palette of glass, steel, cedar, and regionally sourced basalt integrate the home into the rugged high desert landscape.

To reduce impact on the site, the approach to the house is a long, straight driveway running perpendicular to the front elevation. This unassuming approach and the understated entryway conceal the origin of the house’s moniker, The Expanse, which is revealed once inside.

By floating the great room, SEA reduces the impact of the home’s footprint on the native environment. The cantilever also allows wildlife, like the many deer and rabbits in the area, to pass through unencumbered.

SEA’s design for the home orients it to maximize the expansive, panoramic views of the Cascade Mountain Range. The lot’s cross-sloped topography presented an opportunity to fully embrace the site’s unique character while preserving the native vegetation using a light touch. The house is conceived as a lightweight glassy structure projecting from a series of bisecting basalt walls that serve as an anchor, grounding the home to the landscape. The great room and connecting outdoor deck are harbored in the largest projection, supported only by a board-formed concrete chimney, giving the appearance of floating.

Stone walls organize the site, with three lines of basalt running parallel to the slope, serving as a plinth for the structure.

Our clients expressed to us that they wanted a contemporary home with all the amenities that could serve as an outpost for year-round Central Oregon activities. The Expanse’s first level has an open floor plan with a 40-foot sliding door that allows the interior to flow outside, suitable for large family gatherings. A blackened steel and board-formed concrete fireplace is the great room's focal point, opposite the kitchen. The first level also has guest quarters, a wall of hidden storage, and a mudroom.

The second level consists of the family quarters, which include the primary suite with a spa-like bathroom and home office. Down the hall is a second bedroom with an ensuite and a media room, so when the extended family joins, each has their own space. Like the lower level, the second level maximizes views and natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows, inviting warm sunsets over the mountains to spill inside.

The interior design is minimal and timeless, using the same material palette as the exterior. Cedar siding and soffits flow from exterior to interior, blurring the line between the two. Similarly, natural materials, clean lines, and organic tones contribute to a strong sense of place and a calm, comfortable interior environment. Architecture and interior design decisions are driven by simplicity and connection to this landscape that our clients call their second home.

Throughout the home, special attention was given to concealed storage space. In the kitchen, a continuous backsplash of marble slides to reveal extra shelving, and in the entryway, a cedar accent wall conceals closets holding all the necessities for an extended family getaway.

The idea of living in a Central Oregon outpost is evident in the outdoor areas. Sheltered patios offer a reprieve from the elements year-round, and the back patio has a firepit, hot tub, outdoor shower, and a linear pool that appears to reach out into the high desert.