Wovoka
Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Architect: Theodore Brown & Partners, Inc., San Francisco, CA

Contractor: Heather & Little Limited, Toronto, Ontario

Photos: Albert Costa

Winner – New Construction


Wovoka is named for the Northern Paiute mystic who was born in the Smith Valley area of Nevada in 1856 and whose religious pronouncements spread the Ghost Dance among Native American tribes across the West. Wovoka's principle of living in both harmony and truth was the owner’s personal inspiration, and it laid the foundation for the project. The objective was to develop a home that was both innovative and in accordance with its site: its pattern geometry should honor the towering topography of the Sierra Nevada; its aesthetic should be respectfully borrowed from the region's first peoples.

The program was a unique residence compound on the shores of Lake Tahoe containing three structures: a single-level accessible home with a master bedroom and two guest suites; a six-car garage with a workshop and caretaker's unit; and a beach and boathouse structure at the water's edge.

The architect sought unique solutions to meet the program objectives. When the group could not source existing technologies that met their expectations, they developed their own.

Copper was the metal of choice due to its natural transition which will continue to harmonize with the landscape and the seasons. Over time the metal transforms from a shiny copper to a penny-brown to a verdigris-green that matches, in turn, the sunlight, tree trunks and foliage. Most materials get uglier with age, but copper gets more beautiful. Copper is utilized for the following architectural features:

	•	Entry Gate - One enters the site through a motorized gate with interlocking panels of copper sheets and mesh.
	•	Roof - Nearing the lake the copper shingled roof comes into view. The roof is made of custom-designed tree-branch-stamped 20-ounce copper shingles, approximately 18" x 48", and interlocked standing seams (set on a diagonal to resist ice dam formation). The copper shingles are used on all of the roofs throughout the project, including the garage and gatekeeper's house, the main house, the rear-yard gazebo and beach/boat house awnings.
	•	Roof Fascia - The edge of the roof articulates the copper panel seams with an extension of cold roof beams called batten points. These highly sculptural batten points on every structure create dynamic light and shadow patterns on the building façade and ground throughout the site, depending on the position and angle of the sun.
	•	Chimney Caps and Finial - The chimney caps are made of copper inside and out. Atop the main chimney is a nine-foot copper finial designed in the angular Wovoka motif.
	•	Front Door - The teak front door is surrounded by inlaid copper panels and is topped by a copper-framed window.
	•	Garage Doors - Custom copper panel garage doors with overlapping batten details and colored-glass diamond windows provide a rich and long-lasting garage façade.

The copper work associated with this project was truly created by hand. Most of the panels, roof edge batten points, and details were fitted onsite by excellent copper craftsmen using an onsite break to fabricate the interlocking copper system and connections. The interlocking panel system (with no soldering) allows for panel movement (expansion and contraction), to increase longevity for many generations.


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