Flight House by Sage Architecture

The entry to the home is defined by a third smaller curved roof structure, sheltering visitors and creating a softly defined separation between the outdoor courtyard space situated on the front, sunny exposure side of the home and the street beyond. The window system is commercial storefront, which was a cost effective solution to gain maximum areas of glass while maintaining proper energy efficiency. All of the interior wood surfaces are the wood with no stain, so the natural beauty of the wood is evident. The two wings of the home offer very different experiences with the surrounding environment. The bedroom wing “takes flight” off the land – as the terrain gently slopes down, the building gradually steps up, culminating in a floating 3-sided glass box in the master suite for a tree house experience. An emphasis was placed on low maintenance materials. The interior decorative wood treatment on walls and ceilings is tongue and groove western cedar and where wood floors are installed they are reclaimed engineer teak products. On the interior, all recessed cans and the majority of the decorative fixtures are either LED or fluorescent. In the main living space, the great room is slab-on-grade with a polished concrete floor that extends to the outside and feels “grounded”. The roof is a combination of standing seamed metal roofing where visible, but the majority of the home’s roof is actually a single ply membrane “cool roof” for better energy efficiency in the warmer summer months. The architects, who specialize in modern sustainably designed homes, created a modern interpretation of a mountain home. The great room fireplace wall is a combination of cedar, and a modern Island Stone tile product that surrounds the fireplace above a cast concrete floating hearth element. All the roof structures are created with huge curved glu-lam beams. We named the home, “Flight House” to reflect the concept of escape but also because of the curving roof lines. The owners were long-time lovers of modern architecture, with a particular affinity for midcentury modern design. In terms of materials, the exterior is clad in stained cedar siding and Corten steel. Overall, the home is heated with energy efficient radiant flooring. Instead, windows are strategically placed to allow cross ventilation through spaces for natural breezes. This home puts a modern twist on what a mountain home should be and brings a breath of fresh air to the Sierras. This home was meant to be a place to get away from the city life, get back to nature, and “play together” as a family. All of the exterior light fixtures are LED fixtures. While the home is generous in size at 4,000 SF, it is actually modest compared to surrounding homes in the area. As visitors travel down the gallery hall to the main living space, a series of cedar-clad boxes sit within the larger space where the glu-lam beams rise above. Sage was hired to design a vacation home in the Sierra mountains. Nor is it your typical square edged box-like modern house or “A” frame.