Mehoose Residence is located on a 10 acre rolling hills site in Napa Valley, California. These continuous, soft rolling hills give the site the appearance of swales in the ocean. Early programmatic objectives were to respond to this characteristic of the site by creating a “shiplike” structure with the masts creating a vertical contrast to the horizontal nature of the topography. Internal geometry and circulation was inspired by the physical composition of a nautilus shell, with spaces spilling off of a central core.

The central core is surrounded by 3 octagonal plenums that function as both structural and mechanical centerpost for the house. Heat from the top of the greenhouse is pumped down to the rock storage beneath the house; the heat then rises through convection up through the octagonal cores. The concrete octagonal cores also function as thermal mass and have holes selectively cut in them for hot air to escape into the spaces of the house. In summertime the vent holes are closed and the the greenhouse top is vented to the outside.

Upon entering, one is immediately clued into the major areas of the house; the greenhouse, the studio staircase beyond, the living area, the kitchen, and the balconies cantilevering out from the more private areas above. Most of the public spaces are lightly differentiated  by vertical separation to retain the close relationship between the spaces. The studio stairs were designed with an irregular appearance to make the users feel like they were going to a different region of the house.