A 710-acre historic cattle ranch is the site for this ecologically sensitive golf community. In order to enhance and protect the extraordinary natural assets of the location, a variety of responsible building measures were implemented. To minimize the resort’s impact on the natural environment developers reduced the allowable building density from over 300 residences to 135. Out of respect for wildlife habitat, all wetlands and riparian lands have been set aside for permanent conservation.
CLB was charged with establishing the architectural character for 3 Creek Ranch through the design of the clubhouse compound including a pool and fitness center, a bridge, and five prototype cabins for future lot owners to choose from. The firm also established a complete set of guidelines for the community in order to maintain an architectural continuity between homes that have already been designed and those to come.
The entrance to 3 Creek Ranch is marked by a covered bridge spanning a widened trout stream. With stone piers and timber trusses supporting the roof, the bridge sets the tone for the ranch, reflecting a rural western sensibility. This vernacular expression extends throughout the resort architecture with the clubhouse compound and other ranch buildings equally resonant of regional building traditions. Sited between a championship golf course, a meandering series of ponds, and three blue-ribbon trout streams are the home sites, variously sized as 35-acre ranch lots, 4-acre estate lots, and half-acre cabin sites. For these sites the firm created five cabin designs varying in size, orientation, and program. Low-slung and rustic, the cabins echo the architectural language of the ranch facilities with heavy timber, wood, and stone as primary materials and gabled roofs sheltering the residences from the elements. As with all on-site architecture at 3 Creek Ranch, the cabins are designed to integrate with the landscape, bringing the built environment and the natural environment into mutual sympathy.