Distinctly Montana Magazine

AUDREY HALL Outside/In house AUDREY HALL Strikingly sited in the rolling hills outside Livingston, the Outside/In House exemplifies a Frank Lloyd Wright maxim, "No house should ever be on a hill or on any- thing...Hill and house should live together, each the hap- pier for the other." Lori Ryker and Brett Nave designed and built The Outside/In House and Studio. The metal roof is a series of gentle origami-like folds reflecting the color of the sky and the shape of the hills, which hug the house and adjacent studio. Photo-voltaic panels follow the roofline. Natural light floods in through openings that subtly frame views out. Rather than the token grand statement picture window associated with lodges and western airports, these carefully sized openings are placed to feature the landscape at different times of day and year. These are the little "ah-ha" moments that underscore the magic of Montana. The muted colors of regional Douglas fir and subtle greens allow the landscape to hold the center. "The house steps down the natural slope of the land from east to west through a cascading series of internal spaces," says Ryker, now director of Artemis Institute. The rooms open to each other, encouraging cross ventilation yet chang- ing levels. The continuous polished concrete floor (with radiant heat) accentuates the openness of the 2,200 square foot space. A sleek, understated concrete fireplace at the heart of the house angles to face the galley kitchen where the south side becomes a year-round indoor garden effusive with houseplants and vegetables. This touch of playfulness underscores the sense that the house rests happily in one vast playground. As Montanans consider the sense of place, the responsibil- ity to design with respect for nature becomes inescapable. In The Lure of the Local, writer and activist Lucy Lippard quotes Wallace Stegner, "The westerner is less a person than a continuing adaptation." The same could be said for western architecture. Bonanza's Ponderosa, dominating the landscape, is evolving to the quiet contemporary lines of houses in which the concept and construction honors the truly dominant power of the mountains and sky. Licensed in Montana and Tennessee, Angie Keesee practices architecture specializing in renovation and healthcare. She is working on a PhD in American Studies at MSU, focusing on architec- ture and cultural geography. 58 DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011

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