The design duo’s basic idea appeared in an early
pencil sketch of a rocky outcropping with a smaller
volume hovering on top of it and, in between, a con-
tained space that has views outward in all directions.
Gort Scott elaborated this concept into a concrete
structure that rests on the bedrock and sends a series
of vertical elements upward like stalagmites, where
they are topped by a structure of wood. “The building
grows up out of the rock,” Gort says, “and the living
space is framed between those pieces.”
At the entry, visitors cross a bridge over a small gully,
then move into a lower level defined by concrete
so precisely mixed and poured that its surface reveals
the knots in the cedar boards used to form it.
ABOVE: A concrete
staircase paired with a
polished brass handrail
leads from the kitchen
and dining area to the
elevated living room above
it. The house’s internal
topography reflects the
sloping landscape outside.SEPT 2019_ _ 079