Architects: Strand Design
Project: Theodore Wirth Ranch
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Photography: Josh Grubbs
Text by Strand Design
Envisioned as a modern ranch, the Theodore Wirth ranch home rests comfortably on its hillside location. Immediately adjacent to the property, a densely wooded park creates a retreat-like feel during the summer months, while revealing the Minneapolis downtown skyline and its close proximity to the city throughout the winter season.
Working with the clients, this residence was designed in a way that can easily accommodate gatherings and be used as a place to entertain. Central to the property, a 10-meter swimming pool reflects views of the surrounding structures. In addition to the sauna, the pool house along the western edge provides a sheltered deck area and outdoor kitchen. Reflecting off the expansive south facing windows of the home, the pool helps frame views from within the open volumes of the living spaces. Mitigating street noise from the southern edge of the property, a planted berm adds privacy while further creating a sense of refuge in its semi-urban setting.
Laboring over every material and line, this project is the result of rigorous design and planning with the clients. With a constant requirement for precision, the joinery and timing of materials throughout the home create clean, harmonic spaces that carry one throughout the home. Celebrating a truth in materials, white walls highlight the wide variety of finishes including clear timber, sandstone, marble, cork, concrete, and steel.
Creating a home with lasting durability and an enduring aesthetic, the varied materials used for the project have been carefully chosen for their natural beauty–drawing a close connection to the raw elements of the earth. Containing the volumes of the home, the striking cantilevered roof plane shields the living spaces from the summer sun while catalyzing the sense of energy and movement throughout the entire site.
