Page 105 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2018

welcome home | build

The building is 99.94 percent airtight.

The Steele’s worked with Green Hammer, a Portland based design The back painted glass behind the wine bar reflects the vineyard like
build firm specializing in high performance ecodesign, with a branch a watercolor painting. A dying Black Walnut was sourced from the
office in Talent. Using around 65 local subcontractors, which is part Woodburn area to create the 14’ main table that anchors the tasting
of the challenge, as in using as room with the warmth of
much locally sourced mate- its rich wood. Around it are
rial as possible, they used “Only five percent of everything we used made it transparent acrylic chairs.
all FSC Oregon white oak, The paint on the walls is
cedar and juniper. Two-and- to a landfill. 95 percent was either used or recycled, meticulous and glows with a
a-half tons of insulation were soft moonlike luster. Beauty
used, and all lighting is LED. which is amazing in construction and the age of is one of the petals but the
The building is 99.94 per- aesthetics are sleek, with no
cent airtight and as Bill says, packaging and plastics. There is a lot of technicality fussiness. Bill emphasizes the
“Could be heated with a hair style is Barb’s vision and she
dryer.” He continues, “Only to it, yet all energy free.” and Green Hammer super-
five percent of everything we vised the entire construction.
used made it to a landfill. 95 —Bill Steele, Founder, Cowhorn Vineyard and Garden
percent was either used or At one point Bill came in and
recycled, which is amazing saw a person pouring what
in construction and the age of packaging and plastics. There is a lot of looked like white paint all over the white oak floor. It turned out fine
technicality to it, yet all energy free.” but as he says, “There were some heart-stopping moments.”

winter 2018 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 103