Valdres at White Oak Savanna
Sculptural Home on the Wide-Open Savanna
Custom Home, New Build | White Oaks Savanna Development in Stillwater, MN | Awards: Selected for the 2023 AIA MN Homes by Architects Tour
“Valdres,” the home’s name, is inspired by its beautiful setting. The Norwegian stem words of “Vald” and “les” mean “the valley of pastures in the forest.” The large site provides spectacular views of the restored prairie wetlands beyond. Key to designing this home was refining and architecturally-resolving all 4 sides of the home, since each elevation is highly visible. Critical to the project’s success was locating the home properly on the site. We considered where the home could best capture views of the wetlands beyond. By nestling the home into the rolling hills, instead of sitting on top of them, it is integrated with the landscape and respects the neighbors’ views.
Valdres combines two high-efficiency construction systems. Above ground, we used Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) to create the walls and roof. Pre-made, panelized exterior walls and roof pieces “snap” together, much like a Lego set. SIPs provide air-tight, continuous insulation and reduced construction waste. Below ground, we used insulated concrete forms (ICF), to create an airtight, energy-efficient, and sound-proof basement.
Wrapped Metal Exterior
We combined three low-maintenance materials to create a distinctive "Nordic Zen" aesthetic. A continuous roof-to-wall shell, formed by standing seam metal, surrounds vertical poly-ash siding. Thermally modified wood provides a horizontal counterpoint to withstand the extreme winds of the Savanna.
Front Door
The front door is a commissioned metal artwork inspired by the painters Mark Rothko and Richard Diebenkorn and brought to life by a patinaed blue metal coating. The base, midpoint, and upper panels reference White Oaks Savanna's earth, horizon, and skyline.
Light-Filled Living Space
The home's location on White Oaks Savanna provides spectacular views of the restored prairie wetland beyond. Privacy and connection to the outdoors are balanced between punched openings and large trapezoidal windows. Corner windows showcase the panoramic views. Fresh outside air enters the living room through low windows and exhausts through the electrically operated clerestory (high) windows.
The living space’s vaulted ceiling ends at the top of the clerestory (upper) windows, which are precisely aligned to the ceiling plane. The showcase of the living space is the black ash ceiling, which is made with the highest quality vertical grain black ash available in Minnesota. Each piece of wood is coated with a custom finish that accentuates the grain while masking any color variance. A special finish was applied to any pieces with sap wood to lessen the contrast.
Black Ash Ceiling
The vaulted ceiling is clad with the highest quality black ash, locally grown in Minnesota. Each piece is custom-finished to accentuate the grain while masking significant color variance, especially in areas with sapwood (which is especially light in color) to minimize contrast. The vaulted ceiling ends at the top of the clerestory windows, which are precisely aligned to the ceiling plane. The wood transitions seamlessly from the interior ceiling to the underside of the roof overhang.
Owner's Suite
The partition wall between the owner's bedroom and bathroom visually separates the spaces, allowing both rooms to "borrow" space from the other. The vaulted ceiling bounces natural light between the rooms through shared clerestory windows.
Modern Stair
The steel stairs required extra attention to detail and coordination between the architect, builder, structural engineer, welder, and interior designer. It was fabricated off-site and had to slide into place, turned on its side, through a window after the surrounding walls were built. Steel, glass, and wood connections are exposed, requiring all pieces to be beautiful and functional.
Interior Door
The owner's bedroom door, made of rift-sawn white oak, disappears when closed because of the matching side panels. This flush surface highlights the hallway’s cube form, which links the private and public spaces.
Project Collaborators include Redstone Builders (contractor), InUnison Design (interior designer), Bunkers and Associates (structural engineer), and Travis Van Liere Studio (landscape architecture). Windows by Andersen. Custom steel stair and canopy fabricated by Netter’s Welding. Black ash supplied by Minnesota Timber & Millwork and finished by Bespoke Finish. Cabinetry by Northland Woodworks.