West Hills Residence

Project Details

Project Description

Located in the West Hills above downtown Portland, the project consisted of renovating an existing indoor swimming pool room and transforming an unfinished basement utility and storage area into a wine cellar and changing room. The primary inspiration was the environment in which the project is sited- immersed in the forest, with framed views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. The goals were threefold: to remodel the lower level of the house into an environment that was timeless and consistent with the original character of the mid-century modern residence, to create a seamless connection to the outdoors, and to create a peaceful and therapeutic atmosphere for the clients and their family and friends to enjoy.

The material palette was developed to be timeless and durable, consistent with the existing mid-century modern palette of the upper floor of the house. The primary materials are locally sourced Western Red Cedar, slate tile in natural cleft and glass, including a 32’ wide single 4-panel sliding door system spanning from floor to ceiling that creates a seamless connection from the pool to the outdoors. Inefficient HVAC and dehumidification systems were replaced with the highest efficiency systems available, and the walls and ceilings insulated with a high recycled-content product. Framing from the demolition was re-purposed for use in the new work.

The wine rack is a fully custom system designed and prototyped by the FIELDWORK team using powder-coated 3/4” diameter steel rods welded to continuous steel flat bar and lag-bolted into the structure. The wine cellar system holds about 900 bottles total and was designed to accommodate the variations in wine bottle sizes.