Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
The city of Bend is located in the high desert of Central Oregon. As a haven for those who love the outdoors, the idea behind Basecamp was simple: make every design move in service of the natural wonder and beauty of the landscape in an urban environment, bringing the best elements of the landscape into the city’s core. This is demonstrated in the design in several ways:
Take the focus off the buildings. Rather than creating an image that distracts from the landscape, the objective was to design thoughtful and simple forms that utilize regional materials to honor the natural setting. The exterior cedar wood cladding will weather well, accentuated by warmer fir in the porches and decks to evoke carving into a log (Bend was historically a logging community).
Make the connection between inside and outside seamless. Low contrast daylighting techniques were used to enhance the sense of being outdoors while inside. Window placement was key in creating this experience. It also makes the units feel larger than they are. Interior materials are warm and natural – basalt tiles arranged in an offset pattern in the bathrooms evoke rock formations of the high desert. White walls and warm wood finishes enhance the sense of being outdoors.
Create outdoor rooms. All but one unit has generous decks and front porches. All units share an outdoor living room in the center with a community campfire, dining area, and varied seating (including hammocks).
Embrace the Bend lifestyle. Basecamp is located in the heart of Bend, a very walkable city. You can walk downtown, to the river, take a short drive to the best skiing in Oregon, or be on hiking or biking trails in minutes. Each unit has a parking garage that has room for one car and all one’s outdoor gear or two cars, making any outdoor excursion at one’s fingertips. Love of outdoors goes hand-in-hand with being ecologically conscious, and Basecamp is targeting Earth-Advantage Platinum.
While love of outdoors is a signature for residents and visitors of Bend, the architecture rarely celebrates that. Instead, much of the existing architecture feels heavy like ski lodges. Basecamp, conversely, is honoring the landscape by reducing its presence– fitting in rather than standing out. The result is 8 elegant, human-scaled urban homes (with expansion planned for 25 homes) that take advantage of its location and the beauty of Central Oregon.