WORKING IN WASHINGTON'S METHOW VALLEY
Washington's Methow Valley is located at the northeast edge of the North Cascades mountains, about an hour from the Canadian border. The Methow has long been a popular recreational destination for people living on the west side of the Cascades to vacation in summer sun and winter snow.
Tom Lenchek founded the Methow office in the valley back in the 1990's, being one of the first architects to introduce thoughtful, modern architecture to the region. The region is now renowned for its well-designed contemporary homes by a community of architects.
Margo Peterson-Aspholm now runs our Winthrop office with her strong connection to place. For over 20 years, Margo has been living and working in this unique rural area, getting to know the people, the climate, and the land.
ENVIRONMENT
The Methow Valley has the largest temperature swings in Washington state. Summer highs are in the 90°s F, but nights can cool into the 40°s due to the valley's high-desert climate. Winters are cold with nighttime lows dropping below 0° F. The valley does enjoy abundant sunshine year-round though, with over 300 days of sunshine annually.
The following section shows some different strategies we've used to celebrate the natural beauty of place while having our own distinctive architectural practice.
SHELTERED SPACES
Creating varied outdoor spaces is common to our work in the Valley. Wolf Creek and Chewuch River cabins both have deep overhangs extending from the living room, creating shaded outdoor spaces that help regulate the indoor temperatures. Inward focused courtyard spaces in both projects also create contained, intimate spaces in contrast to the expansive valley.
Like many of our homes, the variety of outdoor spaces allows our clients to comfortably enjoy the breathtaking natural setting throughout the seasons and times of day.
Left Two: Wolf Creek Residence Right Two: Chewuch River Residence
TREAD LIGHTLY
Even extreme environments demand a light touch. This was most apparent in the unspoiled meadows and forest of the Wildflower house's site. The house was carefully sited to fit into the natural topography of the site, sliding between existing trees. What was disturbed during the process was restored by a native plant specialist, resulting in a healthy and beautiful site that remains hospitable to abundant wildlife.
RESILIENT EXTERIOR
A well-engineered enclosure is key for any home to survive the extreme climate of the region. Our projects employ robust materials like cor-ten steel siding, concrete, fiber cement board and rot-resistant wood siding to stand up to the big snowfall of winter and blistering heat of summer. Properly sealed and well-insulated walls and roof are also critical to our work here. Our carefully considered details ensure robust and comfortable homes.
HOLD THE SNOW
Managing snow loads effectively is crucial for safety for you and your home in winter months. We typically hold the snow on the roof with snow breaks to control the snow buildup, put heat tape in gutters to keep meltwater flowing, reducing ice dam risks and finally installing robust steel gutters to withstand heavy snow and ice.
FIREWISE
"Firewise" strategies are home features designed to reduce wildfire risk and damage to a home, an increasing concern in the valley and the west coast. We've employed features such as non-combustible building materials, unvented roof and crawl spaces and clearing around the house to create a "defensible space". Little Wolf Residence and Aspen Grove Residence are just a couple of our homes that have implemented these strategies. See our blog post on Firewise or "home hardening" to learn more and how one house was put to the test!
DESIGNING FOR COMMUNITY
One unique aspect of our Methow office is the type of projects we take on. While our core business remains residential, our somewhat remote location and the presence of our staff in the community has led to us being asked to take on some inspiring, smaller-scale institutional work, including Little Star Montessori School's Galaxy Building and the Winthrop Library (in partnership with Johnston Architects).
Working on these amazing, award-winning projects taught us so much and has strengthened our commitment to helping to build livable, resilient rural communities in north central Washington.
Our office is located right in downtown Winthrop on Riverside Ave. We love being in the center of this vital community. Come say hello - we would love to see you!
We're proud of our body of work in the Methow Valley, but most of all we're proud of the lasting connections with the community that we've been a part of for over 30 years.
