A recent visit to Wallowa County to see the great progress on the Josephy Art Center Expansion. The mid-April snow was still flying in this beauty alpine town with breaks of sun and cold, crisp air.
This has been a project dear to our hearts for some time now and the excitement of its construction is palpable. The Josephy Center provides incredible programming to the community in the form of arts education, arts exhibition, and Nez Perce history and archive.
We’re thrilled to share more in the coming months as we near a summer 2026 completion!
@josephycenter
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#wallowacounty #ruralarts #artscenter #publicarts #craft #detail #gallery #observationstudio #scaleofthehand #woodworking
⭐ THE PLAN Award 2025
Hospitality / Completed - Winner
Sequitur Winery
@observationstudio
Newberg, Oregon, USA
The project emerged from deep collaboration with the client and landscape, centering on the adaptive reuse of a 1937 timber barn and local materials to create a design rooted in agricultural pragmatism and regional knowledge.
💬 "The architects’ had a clear commitment to design that connects to the land, respects its historical context (a 100-year-old dairy farm), and engages a rigorous approach to the use and reuse of materials. They were incredibly responsive to our needs and vision, following a process that was creative, collaborative, and fun. The project is a highly functional place of beauty immersed in the fabric of the farm and the craft of winemaking. Guests say it is one of their favorite spots in the valley."
📷 Jeremy Bittermann
▶️ Kicking off the twelfth edition of THE PLAN Award. Submit your project and get acknowledged by the world - Link in bio
❤️ Follow us
@theplan_award@theplanmag
#THEPLANaward #THEPLANaward2025 #Architecture
Join our team!
OS is seeking an exceptional Junior Designer, 2-5 years experience with a critical design mind and enthusiasm to contribute to our body of work.
If interested, please send portfolio and cv to [email protected] with subject ‘Junior Designer’.
Tonal House photo credit: @laraswimmer
Thanks to the community’s incredible support, our two story expansion is gaining real momentum. Major structural work is now in place, and the project is officially taking shape in a big way.
Next up, the team will focus on getting the building fully weather-tight, with exterior materials, windows, and doors coming soon. Once that stage is complete, work will continue on sealing and connecting the new space to the existing Center.
Figure House Concept Model
Located along the Columbia River Gorge, the Figure House is inspired by the historic log floats used to transport timber down the river.
Conceived of as series of bundled 'figures', the space of the house is created inside, outside and around them.
A composition of landscape punches are arranged throughout a reconstituted native meadow and create outdoor spaces with different relationships to the figures creating a dynamic experience with the thin, triangular site.
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#washingtonarchitecture #oregonarchitecture #portlandarchitecture #pacificnorthwestarchitecture #residentialarchitecture #pacificnorthwestarchitecture #conceptmodel #architecturalmodel #whiteoak #brass #craft #handmade
Beaux Frères Tasting Room
@beauxfreres is one of the oldest and most revered labels in Oregon and has long occupied a former hog farm in the heart of the Ribbon Ridge American Viticultural Area.
From the very beginning, the Tasting Room has been housed in the original barn, where an unpretentious, familial experience has long been the hallmark of the brand and core to the values of the winery. Using a subtle hand, Observation Studio carefully reorganized the space, updated finishes and systems while respecting the original identity of the barn and hospitality experience, subtly evolving the spaces without fundamentally changing their charm.
Photography: @mpkelley_
Architecture and Interiors: @observationstudio
Construction: @ad.construct
Front Garden Design: @wesyounie
Thrilled to announce that Sequitur won it's category for The Plan Awards 2025! We recently traveled to Milan, Italy to accept the award and were treated with the warmest Italian hospitality. Thank you to this year's esteemed jury, @theplanmag@theplan_award our incredible clients @sequiturwine and everyone that was involved in the project.
This is an incredible honor for our studio and we hope to be back again soon.
Architecture and Interiors: @observationstudio
Construction: @ad.construct
Structural Engineering: @grummelengineering
Site Masterplan: @reedhilderbrand
Garden Design: @wesyounie
Lighting Design: @studio_zia
Photography: @jeremybittermann@jbsa.images
Honored to share that Tonal House received an Oregon Architecture Award from AIA Oregon for its 'emerging and experimental design.' @aiaoregon
Thank you to the jury for this recognition!
Big thanks to Sara and Ian for the unwavering support of the design through the process and our amazing team of craftspeople:
@clarkworksdesign@wesyounie@grummelengineering@formedobjects@hemmastaging
photo: @laraswimmer
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#oregonarchitecture #residentialarchitecture #designawards #portlandarchitecture #craft #form #abstraction
Thrilled to share that Sequitur Winery has won a 2025 International Architecture Award!
Sponsored by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design @thechicagoathenaeummuseum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies @europeancentreforarchitecture , this award is among the oldest and most prestigious distinguished global building awards program today. We’re thrilled to be recognized with an incredible group of projects!
photo: @jeremybittermann@jbsa.images@sequiturwine
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#architectureawards #europeancentre #chicagoathenaeummuseumofarchitectureanddesign #oregonarchitecture #hospitalitydesign #tastingroom
The expansion sits next to the Josephy Center's original home, a log structure with large sloping roofs of terra cotta. Rather than create a twin, the design strikes a familial resemblance, more of a cousin.
Repeating roof pitches mimic the stunning Wallowa Mountain peaks that surround the site. Clad in horizontal clapboard siding to compliment the scale of original logs while bringing a unique identity to the expansion.
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#conceptmodel #architecturalconcept #archlovers #adaptivereuse #handcrafted #handmade #oregonarchitecture #wallowacounty #josephycenter #josephoregon
A vaulted timber framed space was developed to accommodate a variety of art and community functions from art exhibition and studio art classes to lectures and meeting space.
Taking cues from the existing building's post and beam structural order, the exhibition space exists as a compliment while creating it's own distinct interior character.
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@josephycenter
#timberframe #wallowacounty #placebased #oregonarchitecture #pnw #pnwarchitecture #craft #detail #handmade
Thrilled to announce that after a grant funded masterplanning effort, the Phase I expansion to the Josephy Center for Arts & Culture has broken ground! Set at the base of Wallowa Mountains in Joseph, Oregon, the Center provides a wide variety of arts programming, arts education, and community based cultural events throughout the year. Over time it has become a beloved institution serving all of Wallowa County, truly becoming the community’s living room. This expansion will add a ceramics studio and space for art exhibition, studio art classes, and meeting space for community organizations.
This incredible milestone speaks to deep connection the Josephy Center has forged with the community, with most of the funding coming in small private donations from those who rely on access to the arts.
“This project isn’t just about a bigger building—it’s about creating meaningful social connection—something our community needs. Because when we celebrate the beauty of art together, we start to see the beauty in humanity.” - Cheryl Coughlin, Executive Director
