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The project was developed in response to its extreme site conditions and climate. A 30 percent slope across the site combined with an annual snowfall of 40 feet, resulted in a strategy of ‘floating’ the building on stilts and accessing it via a bridge. The elliptical shape of the building was driven, in part by the client’s affinity for curves. The extruded, linear form reinforces the idea of a floating, bridge-like structure.
One arrives above the house from the road, looking over the roof to the mountains beyond Both pedestrians and vehicles access the house by a perforated steel bridge. Upon entering, one descends a transparent stair lit by a skylight above. From a low foyer, one enters the monumental great room with a high, curved cedar ceiling. The south side of the house offers a continuous 88-foot-long window seat, which passively controls solar heat gain and frames the spectacular southern views. At the western end of the house, a covered deck provides sunset views toward the valley below. The best bedroom and media room occupy the east end of the house. The single board form concrete ‘core’ contains four guest bedrooms across two levels. The ground level offers a ski-in/ski-out amenity.
Southern exposure provided spectacular views as well as a passive solar strategy. The high desert climate presented challenges with heat gain, especially in the winter with the low sun reflecting off the snow. In response, the south side of the house offers a continuous 88' long window seat, which passively controls solar heat gain and frames the southern views. The house uses wood for applications both inside and out. Outside, an open rainscreen is formed using gapped red cedar boards. Inside, the walls and ceilings are clad with red cedar shiplap, providing scale, texture, and warmth. The use of western red cedar was inspired by the local material culture, but also responds to the client’s desire to ‘fit in’ – softening the elliptical shape of the building.
Formally, the house is a 100-foot-long extruded ellipse clad with red cedar both inside and out (liner and rainscreen). Except for the concrete ‘core’, this is a steel-framed bridge-like structure, supported by steel columns. Given the site access constraints, the amount of concrete was kept to a minimum. A 24-foot-long soapstone hearth-kitchen island anchors the great room. The flooring, millwork and furniture found throughout the house are clear white ash or oak - hardwoods chosen for their strength and durability. The environmental ethic which drives this minimalist project is to “touch the land lightly.”
Client wishes to remain anonymous.
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects is based in Halifax and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada with field offices in Oregon, Denver and Boston. The practice works locally and internationally on cultural, academic and residential projects, providing full architectural, interior design and urban design services. In 40 years, the practice has built an international reputation for design excellence confirmed by over 160 awards, including the prestigious 2017 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture; 6 American Institute of Architects National and International Honor Awards for Architecture; 4 Architectural Record Houses Awards; the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Gold Medal in 2015 and the RAIC Firm Award in 2014; 8 Governor General’s Medals; fifteen Lieutenant Governor’s Medals of Excellence; 8 Canadian Architect Awards; and 13 North American Wood Design & Building Awards. In addition, the firm's work has been featured internationally in over 700 publications and 100 exhibitions.
