Van Huset on the Bluff

Van Huset on the Bluff is fervently poised overlooking Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas. The Norwegian roots of the client led to a design strategy that balances the ‘cabin’ culture of Norway with a significantly sized vacation (and eventual retirement) home. The scale of the home is purposefully controlled by embedding the lower level of programming and multi-car garage into the site. The landscape extends over the roof of the garage to establish a clear base to the structure, a type of fabricated bluff to compliment the exposed sandstone of the steep shoreline.

Rich wood materials define the main level spaces. The two strong opposing gabled forms distinctly separate public and private spaces and further help define a more refined scale. These distinct volumes afford sweeping views through extensive glass facades and exterior decks. The large glazed openings allow the horizon and view of the lake channel to visually bridge the interior and exterior spaces.

Materials, form, and site strategy come together to balance manmade shelter with the natural beauty of the site. This is a critical point of design departure to overcome the prevailing lake home model. The clients’ desire for a grand, yet humble, home is the underlying driver of the architectural strategy.