Prairie Slider Grow
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Prairie Slider
GROW
norman, oklahoma
status : on-going
Prairie Slider was developed as a small-scale architectural framework for fostering presence, connection, and restorative solitude. Conceived as a collaboration between architect and builder, the structure operates as a hybrid enclosure, equal parts greenhouse, studio, and gathering space. Its minimal footprint and simple form allow it to adapt across a wide range of programs, while its detailing and material expression establish it as a crafted, long-lasting intervention within a natural landscape.
Spatial Configuration
The building is anchored by a simple rectangular plan and a single-sloped roof that mediates light and frames the surrounding prairie. The structure is entirely post-and-beam, assembled from dimensional lumber with all structural joints articulated in exposed steel connectors and tensioning systems. This approach not only reinforces clarity and strength, but makes the assembly legible, aligning with the idea of the space as both retreat and tool, functional, open, and honest.
Internally, the structure supports a single-volume space defined by light, structure, and vegetation. Polycarbonate panels allow diffuse daylight to penetrate while offering protection from UV and harsh weather. Interior light shifts throughout the day, creating varied zones of warmth and brightness that respond to seasonal and diurnal change. The rhythm of the wood frame and diagonal bracing establishes an immersive architectural cadence, while also recalling vernacular barn framing and greenhouse construction.
Material Strategy
The exterior cladding system consists of quadruple-wall, UV-resistant polycarbonate sheeting, mounted to a heavy timber frame and backed by a robust substructure. The wall assembly offers thermal performance, weather resistance, and a variable degree of translucency that maintains visual privacy without fully detaching the interior from its landscape context. Steel brackets and turnbuckles serve both structural and expressive roles, detailing that highlights the logic of construction while offering precision and permanence.
Use & Adaptability
Rather than prescribe a specific function, Prairie Slider is designed to support an evolving set of uses: a greenhouse, meditation room, art studio, reading nook, or communal workspace. The space is intentionally open-ended, framed by structure and light, grounded by a durable platform, and left open to interpretation. Sliding panels and operable doors allow for cross-ventilation and varying levels of enclosure, supporting seasonal adaptability.
Context & Landscape
Sited within a prairie biome, the structure is elevated slightly on a timber platform that defines a threshold between cultivated wildness and constructed retreat. The surrounding vegetation, native grasses and pollinators, play an active role in shaping the experience of the space. From within, views are filtered and layered, softening the boundary between architecture and ecology. The building becomes a lens for observing the environment, and a shelter for momentary pause.
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