The forms used for the design of the Neo farmhouse are familiar and simple. Where the complexity arises is in the arrangement of these forms and the introduction of more industrial modern materials. The core structure is a gable-formed element. This core is made of thick RASTRA walls, an environmentally sensitive and highly effective wall system. Layers of complexity were then added, beginning with verandas supported by exposed wide flange columns that flank the front and back of the house. A stair tower element becomes a reference to the silos and water towers seen on neighboring properties – except that our tower is punctuated by vertical slots of windows and houses a modern steel staircase. The laundry and mechanical room areas, added outside the core walls, are sheathed in stacked recycled wood timbers with exposed stainless steel bolts, our modern interpretation of log structures built in early settlements. A bridge is incorporated to connect the main living quarters to the garage and guest quarters. This element takes on an industrial quality being clad completely in Galvalume siding. The result is a complex of buildings which have a ring of the familiar, a reference to the surroundings, and yet a modern edge.Contractor: River City Builders, Inc.
Photographry: Dave Adams Photography & Sage Architecture, Inc.