For the homeowner, an East Coast native seeking a balance between tradition and modernity, this project became a true journey of design discovery. She envisioned a home that would reflect her family’s legacy and meet their needs for years to come, while harmonizing with the dramatic natural setting. “Our relationship with the homeowner has been a huge part of this project,” says Eric Logan, Partner at CLB. “Because of the trust and rapport we built over the years, we were able to challenge each other and ultimately arrive at a design we all feel proud of.”

Inspiration from place

From the outset, the site dictated the direction of the project. The steep contours of the terrain and local height restrictions led to an architecture that anchors into the hillside, embracing the land’s topography. The result is a home that converses with its immediate environment, offering from each room a unique perspective of mountain and valley.

“My favorite thing about this project is that you get to occupy the space between contrasts and enjoy them both,” Logan notes. “The house shifts between the quiet, contemplative entry courtyard and the expansive views toward the valley.”

Materiality and warmth

Skyview finds its voice in materiality. Montana stone clads the exterior and continues indoors, reinforcing the continuity between inside and out. Cedar ceilings and walls, together with walnut floors and millwork, bring a warm texture that connects with a traditional aesthetic, while blackened steel elements define contemporary accents such as the central hearth and custom furnishings.

Inside, the palette departs from stark contrasts and instead embraces earthy tones—sage greens, ochres, and burnt oranges—that root the home in its mountain landscape. “We combined natural materials like leather, wood, and stone with custom furniture tied to the interior architecture,” explains Sarah Kennedy, interior designer at CLB. “We wanted a home rich in textures, able to bridge the artisanal with the refined.”

Craftsmanship as legacy

Every detail reveals a commitment to craftsmanship. The spiral light fixture descending in the entry, the handcrafted dining table, the custom rugs evoking the topography of the valley and the Snake River, and the carefully selected textiles all transform the interiors into a space of intimate resonance, where tradition and modernity coexist.

Sustainable and multigenerational architecture

Conceived as a family legacy, Skyview integrates a geothermal heating and cooling system, a high-performance building envelope, and durable materials that ensure a long life cycle. Its spatial organization reflects the idea of permanence: the upper level concentrates the main living areas and the primary suite, allowing the owners to inhabit the home with simplicity when alone. The lower level unfolds into bedrooms for children and grandchildren, along with recreation spaces, a lounge, and a wine cellar. An independent guesthouse completes the compound, reinforcing the vision of a family estate designed to endure.

“This project is a story of evolution and contrast,” summarizes Bryan James, Principal at CLB. Indeed, Skyview not only integrates into the mountain—it seems to emerge from it, celebrating the tension between intimacy and openness, craftsmanship and innovation.

Project: Skyview.
Location: Jackson, Wyoming (EE.UU)
Completion: 2025.
Architecture & Interior Design: CLB Architects.
Project Team: Architecture: Eric Logan FAIA, Bryan James AIA LEED AP, Forrest Britton. Interior Design: Sarah Kennedy, Cynthia Tibbitts, Erica Hawley, Brooke Peacock.
Photography: Matthew Millman.
Production: Karine Monie.

CLB Architects

CLB Architects is an architecture firm founded in 1992. With offices in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Bozeman, Montana, it defines itself as a comprehensive design studio that integrates architecture, interior design, and object design. Its philosophy can be summed up in the formula “inspired by place”: every proposal begins with a sensitivity to the landscape, the light, and the local materiality, generating spaces that seem to emerge from the land itself.

Throughout its trajectory, CLB has grown to bring together nearly fifty professionals, including architects, interior designers, project managers, and collaborators, led by a quartet of partners. The studio’s projects range from private residences in rural settings—where the boundary between indoors and outdoors becomes subtle—to public and infrastructure commissions, always with a firm footing in geography, local culture, and rigorous technique.

CLB is led by its four partners: Eric Logan, a Wyoming native, embodies the creative pulse of CLB. At a time when architecture often gravitates toward technological abstraction, Logan seeks to return us to the essential: the dialogue with the senses, with light, air, and earth. His architecture is defined by a bold yet grounded imprint, capable of stretching the boundary between the contemporary and the local. Logan is the leading voice in many of the studio’s landmark projects, where the landscape is not only a context but an active presence in every formal decision. His designs often combine local culture and ancestral craft traditions with innovative construction methods, allowing for multigenerational experiences in a natural setting.

Kevin Burke brings to the studio a blend of landscape sensitivity and technical rigor. His design approach begins with a deep reading of the land, paying attention to local conditions, the history of the site, and the vernacular forms born of the environment. With a strong interest in building assemblies, Burke promotes within CLB both high design quality and technical efficiency rooted in sustainability. As a LEED-accredited professional, he leads the integration of sustainable construction practices at CLB and reinforces the firm’s commitment to environmental integrity.

Andy Ankeny represents an intimate link between craftsmanship and architectural vision. Raised in Jackson Hole in a culture of custom building, he developed a profound appreciation for material, detail, and measured gesture. He is an architect dedicated to what he calls “cultivation through craft”, a concept that reveals his passion for careful intervention in every small piece of a project. With a long-term vision of sustainability as a guiding principle for design and construction, he envisions each project within a hundred-year life cycle, relying on durable and honest materials that address the needs of both the present and future generations.

Darcey Prichard is the operational and organizational engine of the studio. For more than two decades, she has led CLB’s marketing, administration, and institutional structure. Since joining the practice in its early years, she has played a key role in consolidating its professional identity: building internal processes, shaping the studio’s public presence, and strengthening the brand in a way that organically reflects its architectural practice. Although not an architect, her role is essential: she enables the creative vision to thrive in an organized, sustainable, and reliable environment.

The challenge was ambitious: to transform a residence charged with memory into a warm, current home, deeply rooted in nature. The owners, a couple linked to the world of fashion and parents of two young children, sought a house that would breathe authenticity while offering the comfort of modern living.

Two iconic references: Barragán and Slim Aarons

Maisie’s proposal draws on two iconic references. On one hand, the architecture of Luis Barragán, master of turning light, color, and space into emotional experiences. On the other, the photographic universe of Slim Aarons, chronicler of the carefree sophistication of California’s mid-century high society. The synthesis of both perspectives results in a vibrant project that breathes equal parts spirituality and glamour.

The interior unfolds its narrative through dark hardwood floors, Moroccan-inspired tiles, and bespoke millwork in noble woods such as red elm and burl. Custom furniture pieces act as sculptural elements that accompany the stepped geometry of the house, while the chromatic palette — luminous whites and earthy tones, reinterpreted with pigmented concrete and stucco — reinforces the Mediterranean and timeless character of the whole.

A choreography of spaces and landscapes

The heart of the project beats outdoors: a system of terraces, gardens, and patios cascading across different levels, following the topography and celebrating life in the open air. Here, the pool and spa become an intimate oasis, where the calm of water blends with whitewashed walls and soft arches of colonial inspiration.

Maisie speaks of a “stepped choreography”: a sequence of architectural scenes in which each level invites pause, contemplation, and the discovery of new perspectives over the canyon and the city. The landscape enters the home through large windows and strategic openings, creating a constant dialogue between inside and out.

Light as material

But it is light that ultimately gives soul to the project. As evening falls, the white walls capture the setting sun and transform it into a sundial of shadows and reflections. White turns into amber, ochre, and dusty pink, and the house becomes a living stage where architecture and time intertwine. A poetic union between matter and emotion that confirms this residence as a place to be lived, felt, and remembered.

In the hands of Jordana Maisie, this historic house in the Hollywood Hills not only recovers its splendor, but is reborn as a contemporary refuge. A work where tradition and modernity, nature and design, memory and future come together in perfect harmony.

Project: Casa Cazaux.
Location: Hollywood Hills. Los Ángeles.
Site area: 1.672 m².
Architecture, Interior and Landscape Design: Jordana Maisie Design Studio.
Construction: MODAA Construction.
Pool and Landscape Construction: Johnston Vidal Projects.
Photography: Kort Havens.
Production: Karine Monié.

Jordana Maisie

For Jordana Maisie, architecture is a medium to spark wonder, to open spaces for pause and reflection, and to weave connections between people, communities, and nature. Her projects carry an almost cinematic quality: light becomes raw material, revealing hidden narratives and blurring the thresholds between the visible and the invisible. The extraordinary emerges from the everyday, in those interstices where inhabitation unfolds as experience.

Founder of the Los Angeles–based studio JMDS, Maisie approaches design as an expanded practice that encompasses architecture, interiors, public installations, furniture, and lighting. Her work is nourished by research and material innovation, while intertwining history, culture, and site-specificity to give shape to meaningful spaces. In parallel, she directs JMDW, an experimentation and fabrication workshop that reinforces her pursuit of new ways of inhabiting.

Her artistic and professional journey is singular: trained initially in orchestral music, photography, and film, she found in Berlin fertile ground to explore the interaction between body, space, and technology. A residency in her native Australia culminated in a large-scale public installation and marked the transition toward architecture and design. After earning a Master of Architecture and an MFA in Lighting Design at Parsons School of Design, along with a strong background in photography and audiovisual production, she brought her interdisciplinary vision to the studio of Diller Scofidio + Renfro in New York.

Jordana holds a Master of Architecture and an MFA in Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design, a BFA in Photography from the Glasgow School of Art, and an MFA in Video Production and Sound Engineering from the College of Fine Arts in Sydney.

She currently combines professional practice with teaching as an adjunct professor at USC’s School of Architecture in Los Angeles. Her work has been recognized with the Art & Australia / Credit Suisse Private Banking Contemporary Art Award, and featured in leading publications such as FRAME, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, Surface, and WWD.

Each of her works reveals this profound conviction: architecture is experience, light embodied in space, the art of unveiling what remains hidden in the everyday.

She studied Fine Arts at university, where she first encountered ceramics. But it wasn’t until nine years ago that she began experimenting, first with porcelain, then with clay, to create organic sculptures, strangely beautiful, as if they had emerged directly from the earth. “I discovered that the collective Gasworks NYC had its studio right across the street from my home, so I joined. It’s wonderful to be part of a creative community,” she explains.

Tania Whalen has found her true voice in clay: a wordless voice that speaks through stillness. Her work doesn’t seek perfection, but truth. “My work celebrates the natural identity of clay, highlighting its textures and organic forms through gesture—just as wind, water and sand shape the earth, my surfaces convey movement and depth. I’m inspired by nature, architecture, art and music, and I collect notes on striking everyday silhouettes to reimagine them in clay,” says Tania.

More than objects, her pieces are miniature landscapes, emotional topographies. There is something ritual, almost sacred, in them. Tania works not only with clay, but with time: the time of the wheel, the drying, the fire. “Ceramics forces me to listen,” she once said in an interview. To listen to internal rhythms, to fertile accidents, to the resistance of matter.

Her creative philosophy rejects the haste of the market and aligns with a notion of beauty deeply rooted in sustainability, in respect for artisanal processes, and in a way of life that is mindful and attentive. In a world inclined towards speed and surface, her work is an act of quiet resistance.

At Exágono, we celebrate artists who create with purpose—who offer visual and tactile sanctuaries, and who remind us of the enduring value of the handmade. Tania Whalen is, without doubt, one of these essential creators. Her pieces are not just ceramics: they are gestures suspended in time, fragments of an eternal dialogue between humankind and the earth.

Tania Whalen
gtaniawhalen@gmail.com
www.taniawhalenceramics.com
@taniawhalenceramics

The house presented significant structural challenges: an unusable staircase, a deformed rear wall, and uneven floor levels, which Barker resolved with subtle yet radical design strategies. Among them: adjusting floor heights to expand the kitchen area and keeping an open-plan layout on the main floor to support family life.

The entryway, clad in graphic blue-and-white tiles, features a custom-designed bench and cabinet for storing strollers. Across the interiors, fixed elements —bookshelves, cupboards, sideboards— have been conceived as built-in pieces, establishing a sense of visual and material continuity throughout.

Natural materials and a vibrant color palette

Avoiding conventional decorative formulas, Barker opts instead for a tactile richness drawn from white oak, fluted glass, textured stucco and terrazzo surfaces. A warm, neutral palette is animated by vivid touches of blue, ochre and yellow — from the sun-drenched stucco wall in the dining area to the graphic tiling of the children’s bathroom.

Each floor is carefully considered: the first dedicated to shared family life; the second, a private suite complete with terrace, corner study, freestanding bathtub and working fireplace; the third, a children’s realm, with ceilings papered in clouds and birds, and a luminous bathroom lit by a generous skylight.

A home filled with light and detail

Barker’s design transcends the utilitarian to build a mood — that of sophisticated comfort. From the sculptural pendant light by Lambert et Fils above the staircase to the custom-made furniture in terrazzo and oak —tables, upholstered benches, integrated desks— each element forms part of a harmonious domestic choreography.

Adelphi Townhouse is a compelling example of how residential architecture can be functional, fully personalized and aesthetically engaging all at once.

Materials and furnishings

ABC Stone. Terrazzo and cement tiles and countertops by Concrete Collaborative. Concrete vanity sink by Truform. Plaster finishes by Adrian Coos. Steel doors by Portella Steel. Concrete sink by Kast. Zellige tiles by Zia. Concrete bathtub by Concretti. Puzzle tiles by Mutina, distributed by Stone Source. Wall sconce by Lambert et Fils. Fixtures by Watermark Plumbing Fixtures.

Art: Fran O’Neill (living room). Karin Schaefer (third-floor hallway)

Furniture: Jalis sofa by Cor Sitzmöbel. Custom cabinetry and oak dining table. Custom terrazzo and oak table. Custom oak desk.

Project: Adelphi Townhouse.
Interior architecture: Barker Architecture Office (BAAO).
Architect: Alexandra Barker.
Location: Fort Greene. Brooklyn.
Completed: 2025.
Photography: Gieves Anderson.

Alexandra Barker

Alexandra Barker, FAIA, is a New York–based architect and educator known for her innovative approach that integrates design, pedagogy, and social engagement. Founder and principal of Barker Associates Architecture Office (BAAO), a practice established in 2006, Barker leads a studio that ranges from private residences to educational and community projects, with a strong focus on the diversity of users and contexts.

Graduating cum laude in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard College, Barker went on to earn her Master of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she was awarded the Templeton Kelly Prize and the Clifford Wong Housing Prize. Her academic background is complemented by over twenty years of teaching experience at Pratt Institute, where she currently serves as interim chair of the Graduate Architecture and Urban Design Department. There, she has been a pioneer in integrating sustainable practices and pedagogical approaches that connect education with professional practice.

BAAO’s work is distinguished by its sensitivity to the needs of diverse communities and its ongoing exploration of emerging materials and technologies. Recent projects include the City Kids Education Center, Mi Casita Preschool & Cultural Center, and the Maple Street School, all located in Brooklyn. The studio also participates in initiatives such as Design Advocates and the Hart Island Project, which aim to expand access to design in underserved communities.

Barker has also developed forward-thinking projects that address contemporary challenges, such as Enveloping Grounds, a speculative proposal exploring the integration of energy-generating panels into existing buildings using materials like hempcrete and algae. Her interdisciplinary outlook and commitment to sustainability and equity have established her as one of the leading voices in contemporary architecture.

Source: Alexandra Barker y V2com newswire.

The intense and varied colors, along with the sculptural forms featuring texture, dotted with marble elements showcasing pronounced veining, define the spaces of this home, designed for enjoying family life, leisure, and welcoming guests.

The green walls of the entrance and the checkerboard floor with traditional black replaced by green already hint at that intense color palette. A striking feature in this space is an asymmetrical curved mirror that reflects the arch of the doors leading to the staircase. This redesigned curved staircase culminates on the upper floor in a foyer sculpted by natural light.

The architect has designed each space with its own personality, defined by the materials, furniture, and color. In the living room, with a tranquil palette, the golden yellow relief by artist Andrew Zimmerman stands out, along with the sculpture Cloud Support by Mike Hansel, positioned above the classic fireplace, alongside characterful furniture pieces like the custom walnut sideboard, the curvy Julep sofa from Tachini, two marble tables, the hand-knotted Loop rug from the Indian brand Hatsu, and the original Galatea armchair from Malabar, handcrafted by Portuguese artisans in one of its multiple versions with marble and wood elements.

From the living room, a deep striated plaster arch, crafted by the artisans of Superstrata, frames a bar area lit by vintage French smoked-glass sconces, leading into the kitchen-dining space, illuminated by natural light from a large glass wall.

Alongside the spacious storage cabinets and the island painted in a earthy and neutral Jitney color, the marble Calacatta Vagli Viola stands out, adding an artistic touch to the soothing color from Farrow & Ball.

The dining room features the light oak table from Maiden Home, the Giraffe chairs designed by Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, available through Invisible Collection, and the stunning sculptural hand-blown glass lamps from the Phenomena collection by the Czech brand Bomma.

In the multimedia room, it is the intense eggplant color that gives character to an open space leading out to the exterior terrace, featuring large glass windows. Here, one can enjoy a visually striking bar area thanks to the Calacatta Monet marble front chosen by architect Barker, as well as a relaxation zone consisting of a modular sofa and a curved armchair upholstered in mint green velvet, framing a custom-made curved walnut coffee table. The vintage Italian resin lamp and curved perimeter lighting provide illumination from the ceiling.

On the second floor, a gentle lavender gray adds character to the  master suite , highlighted by custom-made hanging nightstands in stained oak, illuminated by wall sconces featuring patterned linen, the still life framing the headboard, and the vintage resin lamp that hangs from the ceiling.

The main en-suite bathroom, featuring the same lavender gray, is accessed through an archway from which the freestanding bathtub can be seen, basking in natural light and overlooking the garden thanks to a pivoting steel window, all within a serene atmosphere flanked by a large shower wall clad in green onyx and pink aurora macchia vecchia.

In this room, architect Barker has also designed a home office that features forest green walls, custom LED sconces for lighting, and a white oak desk with a custom-made roll-up shutter door.

In the guest area, the bedroom features a bed upholstered in green velvet, flanked by custom travertine nightstands and a trio of hanging clay lamps that reflect the hues of the wool rug covering the floor. The guest bathroom is adorned with stunning marble on the walls halfway up and on the floor, contrasting with the pink aurora stone tiles that line the tub with skylight and the shower nook.

Outdoors, the terrace and the garden steps are finished in travertine chessboard.

Project: Boerum Hill Townhouse.
Interior Architecture: Barker Associates Architecture.
Architect: Alexandra Barker.
Location: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, New York.
Area: 278 m².
Completed: 2023.
Photography: Gieves Anderson.

Alexandra Barker

Alexandra Barker earned her master’s degree in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she received the Templeton Kelly Award and the Clifford Wong Housing Award for her thesis work. She completed her undergraduate studies in Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude.

With over 20 years of experience as a licensed architect, Alexandra Barker is the founder and director of BAAO. Alexandra is also an associate professor and interim chair of the Master’s in Architecture program in the Graduate Department of Architecture and Urban Design at Pratt Institute, where she has been teaching since 2001. At Pratt, she has received national grants to integrate practice and education, as well as sustainable principles, into the graduate architecture curriculum.

Barker Architecture Office is an award-winning international studio based in New York, focused on exploring spatial and material approaches that adapt to the changing relationships between inhabitants and the built environment. Led by Alexandra Barker, Barker Architecture Office has worked in both the public and private sectors on a range of projects, including educational and commercial initiatives, private residences, and interiors in the New York area, as well as regionally and internationally.

Source: Barker Architecture Office y V2com.

With an undulating solid timber canopy of more than 36,000 m2, the terminal core invites visitors to take a walk through the forest and celebrates Oregon’s history of forest product innovation with sustainably and locally sourced timber from landowners and sawmills located within a 500 km radius of the airport. Extensive glazing offers views of the airfield and surrounding wooded landscape, and interior finishes that reference the natural beauty of the region make it clear on arrival exactly where you have landed.

The forest as design inspiration

Designed to evoke the feeling of walking through the forest, the overall experience of the new main terminal transcends functionality and creates a sense of awe and beauty inherent in the natural beauty of the state of Oregon.

The interior environment is designed to increase passenger comfort and reduce the stress that many people experience when travelling. Over the years, PDX has always placed a strong emphasis on cultivating a strong sense of place by incorporating some elements of wood, plants and natural light into its design.

In collaboration with Terrapin Bright Green and landscape architect Place, ZGF Architects applied the concept of biophilia holistically throughout the airport. As a result, nearly every corner of the terminal features touches of Oregon’s distinctive vegetation and ample access to natural light. The walkways are lined with trees and plants, with 72 large trees, up to 25 feet tall, located along the seam and throughout the terminal; cascading gardens; and more than 5,000 strategically placed plants. The landscape conveys the feeling of walking through a forest and guides passengers from security checkpoints to their final destinations.

The distribution of spaces

ZGF examined urban planning strategies to determine the location of spaces within the expansive terminal. The large, flexible main terminal houses smaller-scale architecture that draws inspiration from the human scale of Portland’s city blocks, the rhythm of urban neighbourhoods, parks, and the city’s tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly streets, designed as a “cluster of spaces” that recreate Portland’s unique, walkable sense of scale.

On entry, the reconfigured and expanded ticket hall is designed to offer a clear and easy experience, and between descent and take-off, a central gate directly after ticketing transports passengers to TSA security checkpoints and then to their boarding gates.

This space offers a forest-like experience that surrounds visitors with trees and diffused light. The commercial space before the security checkpoint has stadium seating and accommodates one third of the total number of venues, which offer regional products and restaurants open to everyone. The rest of the shops are located on the other side of the security checkpoint.

Trees and planters contribute to a neighbourhood feel, with a central boulevard with cafés and street furniture inviting commuters to linger. The retail premises were designed as a “kit of parts” with “plug and play” utilities to facilitate installation and give operators flexibility and choice in configuration and branding.

The airport canopy

ZGF and Portland Airport (PDX) chose solid timber for the 36,000 m2 deck because of cost, ease of construction and as a nod to the Pacific Northwest’s thriving timber industry. PDX is the first major US airport with a solid timber roof. The use of wood celebrates Oregon’s history and the future of innovation, craftsmanship and ingenuity of forest products, and because wood captures carbon, it is also an important element of sustainability.

The daylighting strategy consists of 49 skylights of different shapes and sizes that filter daylight through the lattice of the solid wood roof and the large skylight openings, illuminating 60% of the terminal together with customised pendant luminaires.

The vast roof is built with more than 1 millionm2 of timber panels, composed of three different products: mass plywood panels for the roof structure, laminated beams and 0.90 x 1.80m2 timbers for the truss. The individual pieces of wood are visible, which makes the huge structure look handmade and connects it to the human experience on a large scale.

The laminated beam and lattice truss is a framework of arches and scalloped forms, inspired by traditional weaving techniques indigenous to the region. The beams were designed to eliminate the need for steel hardware, minimising the need for metal, reducing costs and aesthetically enhancing the timber. The peaks and valleys of the expressive roof design also conceal a myriad of systems within its hybrid structure and contribute to its seamless appearance.

In addition to the grandeur of the design, 34 huge Y-shaped columns support the 380,000 square metre roof weighing more than 8 million kg.

Expansion of the terminal while maintaining its operation

One of the biggest challenges was to modernise, renovate and expand the main terminal, keeping the airport fully operational during the works. Instead of building a completely new terminal, much of the existing infrastructure, including the baggage handling system, was reused. The masterplan consolidates nine buildings that had been joined together over time, creating a new floor plan and unifying everything under the large solid timber roof, and allowing the airport to grow on site and increase its capacity to accommodate 35 million passengers annually by 2045.

Another key solution was to prefabricate the modular roof structure nearby and place it on top of the existing terminal. Prefabrication of the roof allowed construction to be carried out without disrupting airport operations, which reduced construction times and logistics costs.

As passenger loads will continue to increase, it was necessary to design a flexible infrastructure that would allow for future innovations, sustainable design evolutions and the future need for extensions. The 100′ x 150′ spans between columns allow for continuous passenger flow, while providing long-term flexibility and adaptability as operational standards and traveller needs evolve. This innovative solution left more infrastructure in place and minimised operational disruptions during construction, saving time and money. These are also important measures to prepare the airport for the future, as they create more operational flexibility and allow the areas of ticketing, security, processing and retail to evolve.

Sustainable and earthquake-resistant architecture

The decision to reuse much of the existing terminal, together with the use of timber and the optimisation of steel and concrete, resulted in a 70% reduction in embodied carbon in the structure compared to the construction of a completely new terminal.

The highly efficient envelope increases energy efficiency, as does the conversion to a ground source system for heating and cooling, eliminating the need to increase the footprint of the existing power plant. Given the airport’s location the new terminal is designed to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake. The roof is supported by 34 steel columns. The roof is supported by 34 Y-shaped columns designed with seismic isolation bearings at the top to allow the roof structure to move laterally – up to 24 inches – during an earthquake.

The wood sourcing strategy supported local economies and promoted forestry practices that protect Oregon’s natural resources. Nearly all glulam and lattice-laminated timber is sourced from ecologically managed forests. As in the farm-to-table kitchen, the glulam and lattice can be traced back to the forest of origin thanks to direct sourcing methods. This traceability allowed the project to tell the local story of the timber, its ecological impact and community benefits in a new way.

Project: Nueva terminal Aeropuerto de Portland.
Architecture: ZGF Architects.
Location: Portland. Oregón. EEUU.
Finished: 2024.
Structural engineering: KPFF.
Contractor: Hoffman Skanska.
Solid wood consultant: Swinerton.
Solid wood manufacturers: Zip-O-Laminators, Timberlab, Freres, Calvert.
Wood advisor: Sustainable Northwest, Sustainable Northwest Wood.
Sawmills: Elk Creek Forest Products, Frank Lumber, Freres Lumber, Herbert Lumber, Kasters Kustom Cuts, Manke Lumber, Zip-O-Log Mills.
Forests of origin: Camp Adams Youth Camp, Camp Bishop Gray’s Harbor YMCA, Camp Namanu, Jefferson County, The Nature Conservatory Central Cascades Forest, Coquille Indian Tribe, Hanschu Family Forest, Hyla Woods, Joint Base Lewis McCord, Roslyn City Forest, Skokomish Indian Tribe, Willamette University Educational Forests, Yakama Nation.
Photography: Ema Peter. Dror Baldinger Faia.
Text: ZGF Architects + DeepL

ZGF Architects

ZGF is an industry leader in sustainable and regenerative design. They embraced sustainable design as a core value long before green or leed became common expressions. As stewards of the built environment, their applied research and knowledge gained over the past 70 years enables them to invent new approaches that address urgent climate challenges in complex building types, such as laboratories, hospitals, learning spaces in schools and universities, and corporate headquarters.

Urban planning has influenced their work since the company’s inception: they design buildings and cities that take advantage of the opportunities of a carbon-neutral future. They also reinforce their clients’ ESG objectives with design solutions that represent their mission, vision and values.

They are dedicated to working with the entire industry to solve the pressing environmental and social issues of our time. As a firm, they are committed to the 2030 Challenge, the U.S. Architects’ Statement and are signatories to the AIA Materials Commitment.

With origins in Oregon, attention to craftsmanship and beauty is elemental to the ZGF culture. A deep respect for the built environment evolved from a reverence for the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest landscape and a commitment to stewardship of the natural environment. Rather than reflecting a signature style, his work is derived from the particularities of climate, context and human experience. The instinct to build community, to create places where people come together for a common purpose, is central to his work.

ZGF has grown from a single office with strong regional roots to a firm with seven offices in North America and more than 750 employees. Its national reputation has been recognised with the American Institute of Architects’ Architectural Firm Award, which recognises “its high standards, humanistic concerns and unique ability to capture the spirit of a place and the aspirations of its inhabitants“.

Part of what attracts them to design is their deep desire to bring about positive change. Three core principles drive ZGF’s work: changing people’s lives, combating climate change and promoting social justice.

Sharron van der Meulen

Sharron is a driving force in blurring the boundaries between architecture and interior design, with the intention of influencing the holistic user experience. As Managing Partner of ZGF, she takes on the leadership of the firm, based on the belief that design can solve some of the world’s greatest challenges and make a difference in people’s lives. Sharron’s award-winning design portfolio has reflected the diversity of ZGF’s practice, spanning typologies ranging from workplace, healthcare and research buildings to cultural, higher education and aviation facilities, including, most recently, doubling the capacity of Portland International Airport, while maintaining its uniquely Portland character. Their humanistic approach to design is based first and foremost on understanding the client’s mission, aspirations and culture. Each solution is authentic and unique to that client’s story. Ultimately, he sees his leadership role throughout the company as advocating design excellence in all aspects of a project.

Source: ZGF Architects.

Alessandro Ronfini shares the story behind one of their latest projects.

This original two-story house, built in 1932 in Hurley, New York—a small town in the southern Catskills—had been abandoned for nearly a decade, leaving its new owners to question whether anything was worth salvaging.

Structural analysis revealed that the 60 cm thick stone foundation walls had withstood the test of time, preventing settlement and preserving the integrity of nearly the entire first-floor timber structure. Rooted in these solid foundations and rising through a luminous staircase, Skylight House brings new life—and an abundance of light—to a hybrid home that blends renovation with new construction.

“We chose to rebuild the existing house following its original footprint, but raised the roofline to create a more comfortable second floor. We then added a new volume—an open-plan living and dining area—that connects directly to the kitchen and is elevated on piers, providing a covered garage underneath.”

The interplay between old and new is expressed through materiality: the stone foundation is left exposed, the original house is clad in standing-seam metal roofing, and the new volume is wrapped in wood siding. Large sliding doors open onto a wraparound porch, offering sweeping views of the wooded property.

Because only a portion of the original structure remained, the team had the freedom to redefine window openings in the older volume—introducing more light, framing views, and creating visual coherence between the new and existing wings. The completed home includes a primary bedroom, a guest bedroom, two bathrooms, two flexible home offices, and a kitchen that flows into the living and dining spaces.

The main living space is illuminated by soft, diffuse light from the skylight above the stairwell. From there, a small loft is visible—the cat’s favorite sunbathing spot, say the owners.

The white-painted walls of the skylight shaft provide a clean backdrop for the clients’ colorful furniture and art. The bathrooms extend this balance of gallery-white surfaces and playful touches: a custom zellige-tiled basin and terrazzo flooring in the main bath, and a concrete basin with patterned flooring in the guest bath.

In the kitchen, a bold U-shaped countertop in graphic lilac marble is paired with cabinetry in creamy tones and deep teal. Throughout the home, white oak flooring adds warmth and creates a continuous connection with the surrounding forest landscape.

To heat and cool the house, heat pumps are used in combination with a ductless ERV Lunos system, which ensures a constant flow of fresh air. This system is ideal for retrofit projects like this one, where structural limitations leave little space for ductwork. The fans operate in tandem—exhausting stale air on one side of the house while supplying fresh, filtered, pre-conditioned air on the other.

Project: Skylight House.
Architecture: DEMO Architects.
Construction: Seamus Build.
Photography: Matt Dutile.
Styling: Astrid Chastka.
Text: Alessandro Ronfini

Alessandro Ronfini

Born and raised in Italy, Alessandro Ronfini earned his Master’s in Architecture from IUAV University of Venice, specializing in Construction Technology.

After graduation, he moved to Copenhagen, where he first worked at 3XN, contributing to design competitions across Europe and the Middle East. He then joined BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, as part of the team that designed VIA W57, a landmark residential project on Manhattan’s West Side.

While overseeing the construction of VIA W57, Alessandro joined Enclos, a firm specializing in custom façade systems. There, he contributed to several large-scale projects including the Chase Center in San Francisco, 220 Central Park South, and the Las Vegas Raiders Stadium.

With over a decade of experience in both design and construction, Alessandro partnered with Daniel Kidd to found DEMO Architects, with the goal of uniting his passion for architecture and technology—designing homes that are beautiful, energy-efficient, and built to last.

Alessandro is a licensed architect in both New York State and Italy, as well as a Certified Passive House Designer. He has taught Design and Building Technology at USC School of Architecture and CUNY’s CityTech, and is an active member of the Passive House community. He has lectured on sustainable building practices across the United States.