If you were to travel the old Oregon Trail you’d still be able to find abandoned outposts and homesteads from a time gone by. But if you veered of course today you’d come across a number of modern energy efficient houses that would surely be the envy of those early Trail Blazers.

In recent stories Green Sage and Neal Creek we showed you two examples of modern homes built for the specific local setting and climate. Yet another example today is from PIQUE Architects.

The Whitten House sits on 10 acres in the mostly dry climate of Eastern Oregon. Two volumes make up the house, the bottom for sleeping, and the top volume is living space.

The house will capture rainwater and uses solar for heating. A low profile, tree shading, and house design allow the house to take advantage of passive cooling. While initially still tied to the grid, the house could expand solar capacity to cut the cord and go off grid. Read post in Arch Daily.