Ponderosa Bend is a new Oregon house in the Pacific Northwest, the work of developer Malaspina Design. It is the first in a series of homes being built in the Oregon locality of Bend, designed by the Spanish firm of FRPO (Fernando Rodríguez and Pablo Oriol).
Drone-eye view
An award-winning Oregon house
The house, which recently won the Luis M Mansilla Award at the 2023 COAM Awards, is one of a series of projects being built in the area, with the intention of ‘blending Pacific Northwest dream home aesthetics with modern architecture’, with the latter sourced from Europe wherever possible.
The house in the neighbourhood
FRPO’s first structure has made a mark, a single-storey courtyard house that wraps its asymmetric form around an existing tree, with a series of covered terraces accessed from many of the key rooms. The project makes ambitious use of new materials, from microcement renders to aluminium panels, with large-scale glulam wooden beams used to support the roof structure.
The internal courtyard
The ponderosa tree at the heart of the structure gives the house its name. One section of the circular plan is made up of the car port, store and a self-contained study/guest room. To the left of the car port is the main entrance, which opens onto the kitchen diner, and then clockwise round to the living space, bracketed by external decks and with glass walls on each side.
The main living room
A glazed corridor overlooking the internal courtyard leads to the generous main bedroom suite, with its internal courtyard and large dressing room, and then on round to a family room and two more ensuite bedrooms.
The principal bedroom
The grey aluminium cladding is mirrored by the microcement concrete flooring, while the large glulam beams and wooden ceiling cladding is left exposed to provide a warm contrast. As one progresses through the space there are subtle level changes accompanying the well-defined geometry, shifting viewing angles out and across the house to the garden and landscape.
Study and guest suite
Further houses are planned on the site, building on the learnings of this first property. Each has a highly individual design to make the most of the views and topography.
-
Rio Kobayashi’s new furniture bridges eras, shown alongside Fritz Rauh’s midcentury paintings at Blunk SpaceFurniture designer Rio Kobayashi unveils a new series, informed by the paintings of midcentury artist Fritz Rauh, at California’s Blunk Space
-
New York restaurant Locanda Verde’s second outpost will transport you to a different time and placeLocanda Verde’s expansive new Hudson Yards osteria exudes a sophisticated yet intimate atmosphere overflowing with art treasures
-
LVMH watch week 2025: everything we know so farOur guide to LVMH Watch Week 2025, taking place in New York and Paris, starting 21 January; keep an eye out for our updates
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the cityFollowing the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yoursFrank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North CarolinaDesigned for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to allThe modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie StathakiThe top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrieA Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
-
We walk through Luther George Park and its new undulating pavilionLuther George Park by Trahan Architects and landscape architects Spackman Mossop Michaels opens to the public, showcasing a striking new pavilion installation – take a first look
