Wilson, Wyoming

Merit Award: Will Bruder Architects, Phoenix (602/324-6000)

It is rare to find a home that so eloquently captures the essence of its environment ― in this case an aspen grove outside of Jackson, Wyoming. The basic form of the home, coupled with its weathered cedar siding stained with black iron nails, evokes images of the agricultural sheds of the Plains. The careful placement of the nails, however, suggests the meticulously detailed interior. ( Sunset featured this home in another story, A lens in the landscape, in the December 2002 issue.)