The Octothorpe House

This unique one-story single-family home overlooking the Cascade Mountain Range seamlessly complements the undisturbed natural environment with the natural wood interior. The residence has approximately 2,700 square feet of conditioned area with a total square footage of approximately 3,415, including a two-car garage. It has been dubbed “The Octothorpe House” due to the eight wings branching out from its central courtyard. The home has been featured in Bend Magazine and The Wall Street Journal for its thoughtful design and use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. In fact, at the time of its design in 2017, this was one of the first CLT residences in Oregon.

All roof and wall elements were constructed with CLT and any additional structure was engineered to be hidden from view. The CLT panels made up the gravity- and lateral-resisting systems. Since all interior ceilings and walls were fully exposed, careful considerations were made for the thermal and mechanical systems. All insulation was provided on the exterior face of the panels. Mechanical heating and cooling systems were strategically placed in attic areas with inconspicuous venting through the CLT wall panels. The slab-on-grade floor system was designed with a geothermal warming system. Truss elements utilizing CLT roof panels and steel tension rods were provided at the vaulted ceiling of the garage and all roofs were made up of isolated steep mono-sloped planes.

The walls and ceiling are made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels manufactured by SmartLam North American of Columbia Falls, Montana—one of a handful of U.S. factories producing them. Some of the CLT was made from salvaged lodgepole “blue pine” lumber killed by mountain beetles.

The product is made by compressing and gluing layers of solid wood in a cross pattern, which endows it with exceptional strength compared to traditional stud-framed walls. It is widely used throughout Europe and is gaining popularity in the United States for mid- and high-rise commercial buildings as well as residential.

Building outside of standard practices had its challenges. For starters, the home is built from the inside out. “You assemble it like a Lego house,” said builder Trevor Downing, who found it difficult to find subcontractors willing to learn this new style of construction.

Bend Magazine

As the Engineer-of-Record and specialty engineer for the CLT, our structural team’s innovation, unique skill set and creative mindset brought this one-of-a-kind architectural design to life in collaboration with Mork-Ulnes Architects of San Francisco and Oslo, Norway.

Images: Jeremy Bitterman/JBSA

MEDIA MENTIONS
Wall Street Journal
Bend Magazine