Moose Road House in California, by Mork-Ulnes Architects

The design had to be low-cost but also prefabricated, as the location was hard to access with heavy machinery and trucks

The key generator of the form was the unspoilt views across the surrounding hills. Perversely, this also kept costs down. 'We reduced the number of windows to capture just the essential views,' says Mork-Ulnes. As a result, the house spreads across the site like a threefingered mitten laid upon the ground, each finger terminating in an expansive glazed wall and a carefully considered vista

Local firm Double-D Engineering created a steel stilt framework to keep the structure above (and between) tree roots, ensuring the building touched lightly upon its site

The entrance is up six steps, mounted above a tiny concrete foundation, leading you straight into the living space

Inside, the viewing axes shoot off in the three carefully chosen directions, looking across to Eagle Rock, a local landmark, as well as a distant ridge and the vineyard-filled valley