D. S. Ewing Architects, Inc.

The house and grounds were planned around every pine tree and the Buffalo Bayou flood control easement through the property. We redesigned the bayou into a natural landscaped feature and play area. This project started as a 1 acre 12,000 square foot Spanish eclectic residence and grew into 4 acres and 23,000 square feet of structures. A formal approach and great lawn with native pines separate the 18,000 square foot house from the entertainment and guest facilities. These facilities include a solid limestone salt-water pool, fully equipped gym, barbeque, kitchen and dining hall, bar and guest house. All of the limestone, travertine and roof tiles were collected from old European structures by this office.

WALKER RESIDENCE. This new house is on a one acre gently sloping lot in the foothills of Pasadena. A heritage oak tree and 8 other oaks presented obstructions to design around as well as developing distant view channels. The special challenge of this project was to convince the client to build a contemporary house when they wanted a Spanish eclectic style. They love this house. They also wanted an efficient sustainable house to include a 11.34 KW solar electrical system, and ...use sustainable sourced building materials. The open courtyard floor plan acknowledges 2 oak trees and articulates its way around the site exposing interior spaces to views in every direction. The house is completely transparent. The entry foyer separates the guest wing from the resident’s wing creating privacy. The Great Room opens into the site and the entertainment courtyard. The Dining Room and Wine Cellar open to a private dining patio with fireplace and views of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Children’s Rooms and the Sports Room open to a paddle court that can be active and private when adults are entertaining in the courtyard. The Sports Room completely opens to the west and east yards with sliding glass wall systems. The Master Suite, Office, and adjoining Gym/ Ballet Studio occupy the second floor and offer 360 degree views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles and the Coastline. The design is an exposed structural post and beam concept where all structural elements are visible. Exposed steel tube bracing was designed for shear, eliminating conventional shear walls and increasing windows and views. Vertical wall planes of plaster, wood, and concrete block segment the floor plan uses. The courtyard with fireplace is the exterior entertainment space that the house opens onto and includes a barbeque, bar, and a Jacuzzi that is backlit from the Great Room’s glass-walled fireplace. The roof framing was constructed from the inside up starting with major beams, secondary beams, 4x8 rafters and Douglas fir ceiling planks placed in order, and then 2x14 insulated ceiling cavity and rigid foam sloped roof last. The stacked ceiling framing and beam geometry of various heights define the different uses of the open plan design. This is a different contemporary house it is not all white. Day or night this house radiates warmth. The house uses the same building materials on the interior and exterior creating transparency between inside and outside. Materials used in and out are black transparent stained structural Douglas fir posts and beams, oiled Douglas fir ceilings, oiled Western red cedar walls, 4x16 concrete block, poured-in-place concrete walls, galvanized panels, aluminum grating, steel windows in black and red, concrete tiles and fossil stone from Turkey.

SITE: This project is located in French Valley, Montana. Elk, moose, deer and black bears roam freely on this 4,500-acre ranch, covered by dense pine groves and grass zones with streams and a lake. The Lodge is a serious architectural building type utilizing one of man’s oldest natural building materials. PROGRAM: The proposed project included a recreational working cattle ranch with a master development plan, entertainment and meeting lodge, a dozen guest cabins, a working r...anch center, riding and fishing facilities, ranch house, and an all season recreational village. First phase construction included a Post & Beam lodge and four guest cabins. The project will be managed as a first class ranch retreat for families and groups. DESIGN SOLUTION: Without removing trees, the building was sited in a natural swale in a pine tree grove. The design inspiration for this dining and leisure guest lodge comes from a Japanese aesthetic where larger building materials are used at the base and taper towards the roof. The structure is highly crafted with influences from the National Parks rustic style and the Arts & Crafts movement. The design has a dual personality heavy and fortress like with indigenous moss rock splayed walls and small windows on the north side to shed the snow build up, and major full height glass windows extending onto verandas for solar gain, natural light and views on the south side. The lodge is constructed with fire killed logs of reclaimed lodge pole pine from the Yellowstone fires. Double hips were created at the roofs, another unique feature not previously seen in other log structures. The reclaimed green slate roof is also unique. It steps up to the ridge in 3 or 4 tiers, each tier using smaller sizes of slate, thus creating a forced perspective to blend into the tree canopy. Indigenous Montana moss rock from the site is used for the tapered stone walls. There was no grading on this project. Ewing led over 17 groups of interested architects and builders, explaining the design and construction sequencing process during the last year of construction. SIGNIFICANCE: Innovative design technologies, engineering detailing and a log flying buttress lateral system created for this project allowed for large glass openings between cantilevered log columns, eliminating the need for standard shear walls and steel reinforcement. This new building methodology has promoted higher standards for the design, craft and technology in log construction in Montana and other regions.

Ewing Architects needs to hire an architectural draftsperson proficient in Autocad 12 - preferably with 4 to 5 years experience and capable of working on a diverse range of projects. Let us know if you know of anyone looking for a drafting job! Thank you!