Meadow House is an Oregon ode to the outdoors

Taking its cues from the landscape around it, Meadow House takes a discreet stance amid its leafy setting. A family home set in the College Hill district of Eugene, a few miles from the University of Oregon, the new-build structure is located among flat, verdant plains, sensitively populated by low-rise housing. Correspondingly, the house, designed by Portland-based studio Waechter Architecture following minimalist architecture principles, becomes an organic part of its surroundings, keeping a low profile as a simple and modest, single-storey structure that lets its green context take centre stage. 

Meadow House by Waechter Architecture

In order to comfortably blend into its setting, the aptly named Meadow House, is created as a complex of four pavilions united by a mixture of richly planted and decked outdoor spaces. 'The [client's] family sought to create a residence adjacent to the meadow while honouring its character and value as a resource for the entire community,' the architects write. 

Glass walls open up internal views towards the courtyards created between the different volumes that comprise the home. Four terraces, two open and two enclosed, ensure there are plenty of living options to cater for different weather conditions. The open vistas, practical spatial arrangements and a simplified material and colour palette (mainly timber and steel), create a functional and clean backdrop from which to enjoy nature and experience the setting year-round. 

At the same time, the enclosed living spaces offer a joyful indoor/outdoor relationship, underscored by the refreshingly straightforward composition of the overall residence, which chimes with the studio's core architectural approach: 'Our vision and mission can be summarised in a word – clarity. We’re believers in the ability of architecture to build community, elevate experience, awaken the senses, and find new expression,' the team, headed by founder Ben Waechter, writes. 

waechterarchitecture.com