Local firm Studio VARA has completed Fire Country Lookout, a rural retreat in northern California that is wrapped in a protective shell made of standing-seam metal and is equipped to operate off the grid.
Located near the town of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, the house sits on a hilltop dotted with oak trees.
Fire Country Lookout is a rural retreat in California
A long, winding gravel road provides access to the dwelling, which was designed for a couple with three young children who desired a remote retreat.
The design was influenced by the husband's upbringing in Johannesburg, South Africa, where his father ran a construction company and instilled in his son a love of "being out on the bush".
Studio VARA wrapped the home in metal "This legacy was top of mind when the couple visited the seemingly undisturbed lands of Healdsburg, which served as a reminder of the rolling hills of his childhood days," said Studio VARA, an architectural firm based in San Francisco.
The team embarked on designing a sustainable and contextually sensitive house, a process that involved hiking the 15-acre (six-hectare) site and camping out there.
Two separate volumes make up the dwelling
"Observing solar and wind patterns and daily habits of local wildlife, the team collected data and first-hand experiences that would inform the nature of the design," said the architects.
The team conceived a 3,896-square-foot (362-square-metre) home that stretches east to west along a...