When the owners of the Ruby River Residence decided to build a research and retreat facility adjacent to their river-front home, they wanted the addition and subsequent renovation to be cohesive with the existing structures, some of which are nearly 100 years old.

Though smaller and entirely practical, the researchers' bunkhouse was designed to capture the feel of the family's airy lodge. Entire walls of functioning windows easily link the indoors to the river's edge. On the exterior, dry-stacked rock and natural cedar shake shingles unite all of the compound's structures, old and new.

With decidedly contemporary lines, the new gazebo - complete with an elaborate barbecue pit - provides the center point around which all the other structures pivot. There is a tremendous passion for the river which the family shares among st themselves and with their guests, explained principal Van Bryan. "They wanted every room, every space inside and out, to evoke the powerful feeling of being on the river," he said.