01 MENDO

Mendocino House

Wall with a View

A simple gesture—attuned to nature—magnifies the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

A Site to Behold

Mendocino’s rugged landscape holds a strong allure, and from this ridge-top perch, unbound in all directions, the power of nature is both breathtaking and humbling. Building in such a place can be a contest of wills—humans against earth, wind, fire and scarce water—but with deference to nature, comes a poetic efficiency.

150 MENDO
07 MENDO
06 OKTO

A Line in the Hill

The house is a simple gesture on the land. A long, exposed concrete wall slices across the site until it disappears into the hill. This wall is not just a division of space, it holds the working spaces of the house—kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, closets, and utilities. Life unfolds in a linear series of rooms—some enclosed with glass, others open yet sheltered.
15 MENDO
OKTO-RES (42)
12 MENDO
14 MENDO

Treading Lightly

The home’s elongated plan and robust materials are a response to the site—the sometimes forceful westerly winds and hot summer days. Its slender footprint preserves open space around the house, creating room for a pool. A breezeway, both a room and a passageway, frames the oak woodlands beyond.

Mendocino 509
04 MENDO
09 MENDO
Mendocino 506

Attuned to Nature

The entire home works as an operable system designed to both tap into and temper natural elements. The building uses sunlight to generate energy, heat water, and light the interior, while radiant floors, energy recovery units, and natural air flows efficiently modulate indoor temperatures. The heavy concrete wall, deep steel clad roof and a metal mesh screen help keep the house comfortable inside and protect against wildfires.

05 MENDO
300 MENDO
13 MENDO
10 MENDO
Type
Residential
Client
withheld
Location
Mendocino County

Architects

Project Leads
Mark Jensen
Jonny Rohrbaugh
Vanessa Moon

Consultants

Structural
Strandberg Engineering
Landscape
Oriol Royo Obregon
Geotechnical
Chandler Koehn Consulting
Title 24
Delta Corp

Contractor

Hawkes Construction
with Smith Concrete
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