Sage & Fire

Recognition
2023 AIA San Diego Merit Award
Small Projects

Sage and Fire is a 1,200 square foot adaptive reuse project that transformed a modest garage-shed structure into a high-design boutique cannabis retail destination. Located in the rural town of Lone Pine, California, at the foothills of the Eastern Sierra and gateway to Mount Whitney, the project merges vernacular architectural language with a contemporary material palette, preserving the spirit of its western mining town roots.

  • The building’s original shed form is retained but reinterpreted through a new cladding system of standing seam Corten steel, which weathers over time to reflect the arid, high-desert landscape. White oak siding and black brake metal details offer material contrast while reinforcing the minimalist restraint of the design. The roofline extends downward to define a screened breezeway, guiding visitors toward a discreet but sculptural corner entry moment that signals the building’s new identity.

    The design prioritizes clarity, atmosphere, and transformation through restraint. As a commercial program in a small, visually quiet town, the intervention avoids over-articulation in favor of a simple yet strong form. Materials were selected for their regional resonance, durability, and ability to age gracefully in Lone Pine’s extreme climate.

    Inside, the space is curated to provide an elevated customer experience that feels intimate and grounded. Despite its small size, the project delivers a refined spatial sequence from entry to display, proving that design-forward cannabis retail can exist in even the most remote contexts.

    • By choosing an existing building on an already developed site, this project showcases the benefits of using existing buildings for sustainability. The structure of the shed was stripped down to the wood framing and wood trusses and a recycled corrugated weathering steel siding was incorporated in order to provide a long lasting and low maintenance building for the owner and survive the harsh winters in Lone Pine. The extended roof lines form a screen and semi-enclosed corridor at the main entrance to provide privacy and reduce heat gain on the storefront glazing.

  • Client
    Sage & Fire

    Location
    Lone Pine, CA

    Status
    Completed 2022

    Role
    Architect

    Scope
    cannabis retail

    Number of floors
    1

    Size
    1,200 SF

    Delivery method
    Design–Bid-Build

    Construction materials
    Corten (weathering) steel, cement board

    Construction type
    Type V-B

    Construction cost
    Confidential

    Photography
    Paco Alvarez, Recording Architecture

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Get in touch info@heleo.co

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