This futuristic ski house is born of its sloped locale
A ski house with a contemporary twist, this is House at 9,000ft by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple in the Intermountain Region of Western USA
Part futuristic pod, part lush modern villa, this ski house in the Intermountain Region of Western USA is certainly eye catching. Yet its form and material selection were derived from rigorous design thinking and a wholly pragmatic approach; welcome to the fittingly named House at 9,000ft by the Canadian studio MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple.
A ski house at 9,000 ft by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple
The project, largely clad in timber, placed on stilts and featuring a main section in the shape of a curved tube (oval, in section), is a clear departure from both the typical mountain log house, and the conventional, luxury ski resorts of the region. Its unusual shape and positioning was developed in direct response to the climatic conditions of the site, and its sharp incline. The plot’s 30 per cent slope meant that raising a level platform and working with that as the main home made sense – while residents can access their front door via a bridge.
Inside, 4,400 sq ft of space allows for five bedrooms, a flowing living area and kitchen, a garage and a mechanical room.
The orientation of the openings not only takes in the striking views created by this crow's nest, 'floating' position; they were also designed with a passive solar strategy in mind. This is displayed especially well in the living room and its continuous 88ft-long window seat – a prime spot for nature gazing while enjoying the warmth of the sun. Meanwhile, the volume's gentle curves work with the region's strong winds.
Red cedar both inside and out, supported by a concrete base and a steel bridge-like frame structure, forms an interior that feels every bit as cocooning as it looks. The timber and soft curves allow this ski house to blend organically with the surrounding nature, at the same time respecting it. 'The environmental ethic that drives this minimalist project is to touch the land lightly,' the architects write.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Jaguar reveals its new graphic identity ahead of a long-awaited total brand reboot
Jaguar’s new ethos is Exuberant Modernism, encapsulated by a new visual language that draws on fine art, fashion and architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Olfactory Art Keller: the New York gallery exhibiting the smell of vintage perfume, blossoming lilacs and last night’s shame
Olfactory Art Keller is a Manhattan-based gallery space dedicated to exhibiting scent as art. Founder Dr Andreas Keller speaks with Lara Johnson-Wheeler about the project, which doesn’t shy away from the ‘unpleasant’
By Lara Johnson-Wheeler Published
-
Explore a barn conversion with a difference on the Isle of Wight
Gianni Botsford Architects' barn conversion transforms two old farm buildings into an atmospheric residence and artistic retreat, The Old Byre
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
This New York brownstone was transformed through the power of a single, clever move
Void House, a New York brownstone reimagined by architecture studio Light and Air, is an interior transformed through the power of one smart move
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A new Texas house transforms a sloping plot into a multi-layered family home
The Griggs Residence is a Texas house that shields its interior world and spacious terraces with a stone and steel façade
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Light, nature and modernist architecture: welcome to the reimagined Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens and its modernist Roberto Burle Marx-designed greenhouse get a makeover by Weiss/Manfredi and Reed Hildebrand in the US
By Ian Volner Published
-
A bridge in Buffalo heralds a new era for the city's LaSalle Park
A new Buffalo bridge offers pedestrian access over busy traffic for the local community, courtesy of schlaich bergermann partner
By Amy Serafin Published
-
Tour this Bel Vista house by Albert Frey, restored to its former glory in Palm Springs
An Albert Frey Bel Vista house has been restored and praised for its revival - just in time for the 2025 Palm Springs Modernism Week Preview
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn project
The first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York City
Real estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
By Diana Budds Published
-
Populus by Studio Gang, the ‘first carbon positive hotel in the US’ takes root in Denver
Populus by Studio Gang opens in Denver, offering a hotel with a distinctive, organic façade and strong sustainability credentials
By Siska Lyssens Published