FRPO’s Oregon house explores modern materials and a circular plan
This single-storey Oregon house in the Pacific Northwest offers a radical new take on suburban living

Ponderosa Bend is a new Oregon house in the Pacific Northwest, the work of developer Malaspina Design. It is the first in a series of homes being built in the Oregon locality of Bend, designed by the Spanish firm of FRPO (Fernando Rodríguez and Pablo Oriol).
Drone-eye view
An award-winning Oregon house
The house, which recently won the Luis M Mansilla Award at the 2023 COAM Awards, is one of a series of projects being built in the area, with the intention of ‘blending Pacific Northwest dream home aesthetics with modern architecture’, with the latter sourced from Europe wherever possible.
The house in the neighbourhood
FRPO’s first structure has made a mark, a single-storey courtyard house that wraps its asymmetric form around an existing tree, with a series of covered terraces accessed from many of the key rooms. The project makes ambitious use of new materials, from microcement renders to aluminium panels, with large-scale glulam wooden beams used to support the roof structure.
The internal courtyard
The ponderosa tree at the heart of the structure gives the house its name. One section of the circular plan is made up of the car port, store and a self-contained study/guest room. To the left of the car port is the main entrance, which opens onto the kitchen diner, and then clockwise round to the living space, bracketed by external decks and with glass walls on each side.
The main living room
A glazed corridor overlooking the internal courtyard leads to the generous main bedroom suite, with its internal courtyard and large dressing room, and then on round to a family room and two more ensuite bedrooms.
The principal bedroom
The grey aluminium cladding is mirrored by the microcement concrete flooring, while the large glulam beams and wooden ceiling cladding is left exposed to provide a warm contrast. As one progresses through the space there are subtle level changes accompanying the well-defined geometry, shifting viewing angles out and across the house to the garden and landscape.
Study and guest suite
Further houses are planned on the site, building on the learnings of this first property. Each has a highly individual design to make the most of the views and topography.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSport
Pitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
The dynamic young gallerists reinvigorating America's art scene
'Hugging has replaced air kissing' in this new wave of galleries with craft and community at their core
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week
While a few of our editors were in Europe for various showcases and launches, others stayed local, uncovering new cuisines, eccentric exhibitions and glorious gardens this side of the Channel
-
Discover this sleek-but-warm sanctuary in the heart of the Wyoming wilds
This glorious wood-and-stone residence never misses a chance to show off the stirring landscape it calls home
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heart
A holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
Peel back this Michigan lakeside house’s cool slate exterior to reveal a warm wooden home
In Detroit, Michigan, this lakeside house, a Y-shaped home by Disbrow Iannuzzi Architects, creates a soft balance between darkness and light through its minimalist materiality
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
A Rancho Mirage home is in tune with its location and its architect-owners’ passions
Architect Steven Harris and his collaborator and husband, designer Lucien Rees Roberts, have built a home in Rancho Mirage, surrounded by some of America’s most iconic midcentury modern works; they invited us on a tour
-
Inside Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House – a project built with accessibility at its heart
The dwelling, which you can visit in Illinois, is a classic example of Wright’s Usonian architecture, and was also built for a client with a disability long before accessibility was widely considered
-
Tour this fire-resilient minimalist weekend retreat in California
A minimalist weekend retreat was designed as a counterpoint to a San Francisco pied-à-terre; Edmonds + Lee Architects’ Amnesia House in Napa Valley is a place for making memories
-
A New Zealand house on a rugged beach exemplifies architect Tom Kundig's approach in rich, yet understated luxury
This coastal home, featured in 'Tom Kundig: Complete Houses', a new book launch in the autumn by Monacelli Press, is a perfect example of its author's approach to understated luxury. We spoke to Tom Kundig, the architect behind it