Location : Stanley, Idaho – Sawtooth Mountains

Project Design : Two mountain cabins, designed as cluster, echo an spatial relationship found in historic mining towns of Idaho. From a distance, the steep metal roof, reclaimed wood, and stone resonate with local vernacular. Close-up the design is challenged with new approaches to composition, assembly performance, and structure. The design is unrepeatable, in that it strategically frames the landscape from positions inside and out. Rather than providing a grand view, the landscape is interpreted through space and storytelling.

Project Values : Community Character , Solar Orientation , High-Performance Assembly .

Project Team : Shane Humphrey, George Nedelea of Sawtooth Contracting, Masonry Kim Wilde.

The project seeks historic continuity in massing, scale, and program. Yet to not mimic a historic structure, with purpose of contributing new strategies in cold-climate mountain design. I started with numerous personal Idaho experiences, pertained to historic towns and cabins. Regardless, every dirt road of Stanley, ID was re-walked to absorb the rustic vernacular and ethos of place.

Image Credit . Galczynski, University of Idaho Library, Estevan Chapa.