2010 AIA Western Mountain Region Design Merit Award
2011 AIA Wyoming Design Merit Award
In a singularly spectacular landscape at the edge the forest and the Snake River plain, this house is built on an in-holding in Grand Teton National Park. The presence of the mountains governs all aspects of the design.
A glass wall unifies all rooms as part of, or opening onto, this view. The space is an adjunct to nature allowing one to inhabit the mountain environment as part of the living space. This unifi cation of interior/exterior exhibits the modern notion of interior space as a continuum of universal space.
The contrast of materials defines the interior character. Durable, clapboard formed concrete extends inside under a ceiling of lapped alder wood panels that extend over the entry carport and generous overhang. A sliding mahogany wall activates to separate the master suite from public spaces but is seldom employed given the desire for broad connection with nature.
The culture of this house is its simple layout and its connection to the context through literal transparency but also a nod to the timelessness of the mountain geology. The two combine to create an architecture of exultation for the natural environment.