07-001 Spring Ranch
Outside of Hollister, California, livestock graze on a thriving 500-acre organic farm. The property owners approached our team with a vision of a working ranch nestled into this sprawling site that would serve as a multi-generational family compound amidst their walnut, olive, and grape groves. Spring Ranch was designed with this vision in mind, prioritizing site-sensitivity, sustainable design strategies, and indoor-outdoor connections.
From the base of a large knoll, the house opens to eastward views of rolling hills along the San Andreas Fault. The building curves subtly with the contours of the site, appearing to delicately grasp the land. Three long, gently arching rammed earth walls anchor both indoor and outdoor spaces, centering living areas around courtyards that welcome natural light into each room. Private suites and a bunkroom offer lodging options for guests and family, separated programmatically from the large communal gathering and cooking spaces. The main living room feels open and airy with 22-foot-high ceilings, while still visually connected to private areas via a dramatic second floor catwalk.
Our team collaborated with Ground Studio Landscape to gracefully integrate the home into the expansive site, extending the exterior rammed earth and stone walls into the rolling meadow and scaling the outdoor living areas to match the grandeur of the surrounding valley.
Sustainable Strategies
Spring Ranch achieved LEED Gold performance through passive heating and cooling, alternative energy, sustainably harvested materials, and drought-tolerant landscape design. Site-generated geothermal energy runs the home’s radiant heating and cooling system, while solar thermal and photovoltaic arrays power the net-zero home. Solar orientation optimizes southeast glazing to warm concrete flooring and earthen walls, and roof overhangs and external shades moderate light and heat.
Materiality
The rammed earth walls, visually, structurally, and thematically tie the building to the site and create a soft, patterned, organic color palette. The interior palette of wood, glass, steel, and stone compliment the rammed earth’s organic textures and colors. Natural light filters into living spaces through slated screens made of reclaimed wood, creating moments of visual interest while protecting the home from direct sun during hot summer months.
