Sawmill Tehachapi, California Family Retreat, Kern County Architecture Images
Sawmill, Tehachapi, California
Family Retreat in Kern County in CA, United States ? design by Olson Kundig Architects
Apr 18, 2017
Sawmill, Tehachapi, California
Design: Olson Kundig Architects
Location: Tehachapi, Kern County, California, USA
Sawmill in Tehachapi, California
Set in the remote, harsh high desert of California, Sawmill is a family retreat that reflects and weaves into the beautiful, tough, scrubby site. Tough as nails, the house is built to respond to drastic climate variations and is completely off-the-grid, relying on its own solar power and well water.

The roof acts as a sun shield or parasol while the house functions as an open-air pavilion when the weather is temperate, thanks to the twenty-six-by-twelve-foot sliding window wall that opens the entire living area to the outdoors.
The layout by Olson Kundig is likewise simple and straightforward. Each family member has a private zone that projects out from the main family gathering space: one box for the parents and a box for each of their two kids (and, someday, their future families and extended families). The program also includes an office, a studio workspace, and downstairs storage.

A massive concrete fireplace contains a unique ventilation system based on a Russian/Finnish design. Outside air is introduced under the hearth from the basement rather than pulling tramp air ? air from the outdoors ? in through the building...