A group of timber-clad buildings surround a central courtyard in this Minnesota residence by American firm Salmela Architect designed for clients who previously lived in Japan.
The project, called Fifty-Acre Wood, is located in Stillwater – a historic town located along the St Croix River, just behind Minneapolis. The house is located on a fifty-acre (20 ha) plot, most of which clients have given to the Minnesota Land Trust for permanent preservation.
Located near a waterfall, the property features an oak forest and farm fields that are replanted with local herbs. The area supports a range of wildlife, including black bears, foxes, ridge cranes, and blue herons.
The owners are a married couple – Yoko and Paul – who met and lived in Japan before moving to Minnesota with their two young sons. Paul grew up exploring the Saint Croix River Valley and wanted his children to have a similar experience.
Unlike Paul’s upbringing, Yoko grew up in the dense Japanese city of Fukuoka, and at first felt uncertain about living in a wide-open scene.
“Her wish was for a home that feels protected, while incorporating familiar cultural references into this unfamiliar setting,” said Salmela Architect, a Minnesota firm best known for designing homes in a modern, regional style.
The architects envisioned a series of buildings that are organized around a central courtyard. The design is based on two references: a group of farm buildings with shaded roofs and a Japanese house with sheltered exterior walkways.
The main residence consists of two L-shaped wings connected by a glass corridor. Nearby are a separate guest house, garage and multi-purpose building.
“Each of the five structures has been positioned according to function, solar orientation, and relationship to specific landscape features,” the company said.
The facades are covered with cedar cedar, and the ceilings are covered with standing metal. Interior finishes include slate tiles, quartz countertops and light-colored basswood sheathed ceilings.
In the main residence there is a clear separation between public and private spaces.
One of the suites includes a semi-open kitchen, dining area and living room. It is located on an east-west axis and overlooks a gently rolling field.
“The south-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows create a sense of interior and exterior continuity, which is reinforced by horizontal wood slats on both the exterior and interior roof,” the team said.
“This Japanese architectural reference helps soften the acoustics of hard surfaces within the wide-open room.”
In the kitchen, the team provided views from all directions. The large north window provides visual lines to the yard, entry path, and driveway, providing a sense of security.
The house lacks a traditional foyer. Instead, one enters through a sill made up of “symmetrical blade walls” located between the kitchen and the mudroom.
“While clients were initially hesitant about the unusual sequence of arrival, they expressed how comfortable it was to welcome people into their homes without the usual awkwardness associated with a formal lobby,” the team said.
The house’s other wing, which includes the bedrooms, runs north to south and embraces the edge of the woods.
“The three bedrooms, the two shower rooms and the sink – overlook the oak forest, which filters warm morning light through its leaves, signaling the beginning of the day,” the studio said.
The sleeping areas are arranged along a corridor that serves as a work space.
“They remain shaded throughout the work day, creating the perfect glare-free environment until the low evening sun signals dinner time,” the company said.
Throughout the house, the team incorporated a number of elements to help reduce energy consumption. These include operable windows, a hydropneumatic in-floor heating system, an air-to-air heat exchanger, and a high level of insulation.
“Six-foot-deep eaves and a south-facing orientation provide an ideal passive solar strategy that increases heat gain in winter while completely blocking the midsummer sun,” the team added.
The house also has three skylight boxes that open and close, allowing hot air to escape. At night, the boxes are lit with electric lights.
Outside the main house, the team set up a guesthouse in the west, providing a level of separation and privacy for overnight visitors, including Yoko’s parents from Japan.
To the north is a two-story garage and “barn,” a multi-purpose space for play and storage. The buildings are accessed through paved walkways that surround the courtyard.
“Exterior walkways surround the inner courtyard planted with native plants – a microcosm and counterpoint to a larger landscape restoration project,” the team said.
Other projects by Salmela Architect include a house for a physicist and an ophthalmologist supposed to resemble a “multi-viewing aperture scientific instrument” and a solar powered house built for an architecture professor.
Photography by Corey Jaffer.
Project credits:
Architect: Engineer Salmila
a team: David Salmela (Director), Kay Salmela (Head of Design), Emre Ehrenler
Energy advisor: Malini Srivastava
Structural Engineer: Mayer Burgmann Johnson
contractor: Kites Fine Homes