via New York Times
The two-bedroom rectangular house is located on a rural road about a mile from the Mount Hood Winery and Nutquacker Farms, surrounded by firs, big leaf maples and reseeded wildflowers. It sits 10 feet off the ground on a noticeably large and solid concrete box, which contains two storage units. The elevation is a concession to flood-plain code, which prohibits “habitable” floors less than four feet off the ground. “But also, on this really beautiful site, we wanted to design something that didn’t overwhelm it — something that was small, floating,” Ms. Donohue said.
A key concept for the house was “to literally have no footprint,” Ms. Donohue said. The roof is engineered to sustain plants and soil to absorb rainwater. Planters with native grasses, which are embedded in the cedar deck and walkway, also help absorb rainwater while screen-covered inserts in the concrete storage units allow floodwater to flow in and out. “There’s the idea that nature is running through the building,” Mr. McKean said. Other features include tigerwood flooring certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a vegetable wax finish, a water-conserving toilet, an on-demand water heater and in the bathroom a solar tube — a type of skylight that intensifies natural light — to use in place of a regular electrical fixture.