Bend Shed

Named for its distinctive roof shape and location in Bend, OR. The Bend Shed was built as a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (DADU) in the rear yard of a 100 yr old bungalow-style home. This quasi backyard cottage/urban cabin doubles as a retreat for the owner's family and as a rental the other times of the year.

An early goal for the Bend Shed was to create a dwelling that fit well contextually but stayed true to modern design philosophies. We sought to achieve this by carefully considering the neighborhood scale, ensuring that the home would be consistent with its surroundings and adjacent structures. We also drew inspiration from the history of Bend, particularly the town’s rich lumber mill history and regional access to plenty of wood building products. We chose materials that were in keeping with this by selecting cedar shingles, fir plywood, and fir lumber throughout the design. These wood products are prevalent and consistent with the neighborhood but were integrated with a clean and simple building form that creates a refined modern aesthetic.

The shed-like roof shape of the home was formed from a desire to create a covered indoor-outdoor area and to optimize for preferred solar angles. We achieved this via a large cantilevered roof that extends south (and east) over the building, providing outdoor cover and shade from the harsh summer sun while still allowing desired low-angle winter sunlight to filter in. This optimized solar configuration set up a light-focused framework for the home to follow. The kitchen, dining, and living areas are put front and center, arranged in a linear sequence, and accentuated w/ a double-height space above — making the rooms feel quite large despite our compact 700sf footprint. On the north side of the home (also in a linear fashion) we placed the shared bathroom, the main bedroom, and a small laundry/bike garage. Stacked above these spaces is a bonus loft that is accessed by a ship ladder. Two additional bedrooms and an open lounge area are all comfortably placed.

The Bend Shed successfully merges modern design with regional materials and design vernacular, creating a contemporary yet contextual retreat for its owners. The result is a thoughtful and efficient space that celebrates light, embraces the local landscape, and adds a unique yet fitting infill dwelling to the neighborhood.

Credits:

Architect: Analogous Architecture

Contractor: RN Cross Construction

Structural Engineer: Three Rivers Structural

Photography: Ross Eckert Photo