A Minnesota Home Is Carefully Inserted Into the Gently Rolling Hillside

In eastern Minnesota’s West Lakeland Township, an architecturally driven community in an idyllic rural setting caught the attention of Tennessee residents relocating to the Midwest to be closer to family. Engaging Minneapolis-based PKA Architecture, they bought into the community, and began the process of designing a new home with the express desire that it be set into the land—not on it.

The prairie where the home is sited includes diverse views of heritage oak trees, ponds, and wildlife—making connection to the landscape a central design goal. "The site context is quite amazing," says PKA Architecture managing principal Kristine Anderson. The design team and clients both drew inspiration from the natural colors and seasonal variability of the surrounding landscape. "The new home was set in a landscape that changes throughout the seasons—of green and earth tones," says Anderson.

When designing the home, the PKA Architecture team carefully considered the client’s affinity for midcentury architecture. "We wanted to project a low profile, with strong horizontal lines and indoor/outdoor connections," says architect and project manager Tammy Angaran. Nestled into the hillside, the home was designed with simple volumes, all clustered around an autocourt, similar to a farm homestead—a nod to the agricultural history of the site.