Project Description
Situated high in the rugged Rocky Mountains of Northern Colorado, this 3,500 square foot home stretches parallel to the lake allowing magnificent views of Lake Agnes from each room. The home sits threaded through the Ponderosa Pines along the western edge of a sunny glade, animated by foraging wildlife and opening onto the lakeshore. Clad in metal, the sloped roof and strong horizontal form of the building plays against the verticality of the dense pine forest while shedding the winter snowpack safely away from the entry and approach. Spatially, the design reflects the client’s desire for open living balanced by meditative retreat and escape from the family's busy metropolitan life overseas. The continuous volume of the living space is an open place for family gathering, while the mezzanine at the end of the axis allows for introspective moments while maintaining a connection to the heart of the home. Pods of support space bookend portions of the larger volume creating a bunkroom and guestroom. The family retreat was designed to be comfortable for two, while also accommodating for large family reunions of twenty or more individuals by providing additional sleeping on top of the pods. The exterior of the home is simple; low maintenance metal clad doors and windows, board formed concrete and dark stained cedar walls, and durable metal roofing. Inside, concrete floors and stone countertops are durable surfaces for an active family. Wood accents add warmth to the interiors and board formed concrete walls carry texture and tone from the exterior to the interior. Special moments, such as an onsen bath wrapped in cedar slats and dark stone, create memorable spaces with framed views of lake and forest. The private alpine lake lies within glacial tarn and surrounded by peaks and crags. The delicate ecosystem has no surface outflow, only artesian wells. It is staunchly protected by the group of steward’s who share the forest from unique lakefront to the ridge lines. The multiple generations that enjoy the home will carry on that tradition. The house blends into the woods during the day and at night the thin horizontal band of windows gives a gentle glow reflected in the still lake, welcoming the family home for the evening after an active day exploring the vast surrounding wilderness.