Project: Hood River East House
Architects: EB architecture + design
Lead Architects: Erik Becker
General Contractor: DKB Limited
Structural Engineering: Angle Design
Interior Design: Courtney Nye
Location: Hood River, Oregon, United States
Area: 2600 m2
Year: 2018
Photographs: Benjamin Lowry
Nestled back up in the trees, overlooking the small town of Hood River, Oregon, the Hood River East House slides in amongst its evergreen neighbors.
A challenging site with various constraints directed the positioning, function, and flow of this residence. With the need to house up to 6-7 collector cars, the owner’s wonderful hobby was the main driving force that set the order of this project. Cars first. Set into a gentle hillside, the lower-level garage is tucked into the existing terrain, daylighting to the west while completely buried to the east.
The main living level above, cantilevers past the lower-level garage, putting it into the shadows, downplaying its size. To the east, the upper tier of the property, lies the main building entry, landscaped courtyard with lap pool and separate outbuilding, a mini-me version of the main house.
Sharp lines and crisp materials define the presence of the residence, machine-like in presence, a nod to the engineering of the owners’ beautiful cars. The main, upper level of the house is the owner’s Shangri la for day-to-day living. Views out towards the Columbia River are captured by a massive sliding glass window wall that can completely disappear, letting the living area slide out onto the western outdoor deck.
The central courtyard with a lap pool and fire pit is bound by the detached outbuilding to the east, creating a wonderful outdoor room. Day parking is at this level as well, leading to the main entrance. A predominantly white interior, anchored by a polished finish concrete floor, and accented with black walnut cabinetry, display the various pieces of art and memories from the owner’s extensive travel history.
