Radical Winter Retreat: Private Ski-In Mountain Home
What do you do if you want a distinctive two-family vacation home in the mountains and you just happen to own a truckload of redwood siding? You call Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect, of course. His creative environmentally-friendly home designs bring a stunning and truly unusual touch to the ordinary home or vacation home, no matter where its foundation sits.
This particular home was designed for the aforementioned siding-owning families. Sitting in a ski resort community in Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado, the structures is affectionately know as the “snow clam” to the locals. It sits in the perfect position for avid skiers: you can ski from the door of the house to the ski lift, take the lift up, and then ski directly back to the house.
Although it’s obviously a man-made object nestled in the hills and trees of Mt. Crested Butte, the house seems to harmonize with its surroundings. The shape of the exterior calls to mind large boulders or mounds of snow. The sweeping roof echoes the famous Colorado peaks. The grand redwood exterior resonates with the surroundings in a way that synthetic siding never could. Even from the outside, the home appears light and airy, yet grounded and stable despite its precarious-looking perch. Oshatz is known for his wildly imaginative designs and his belief that architectural theories and styles simply don’t hold water. He bases his designs on the balance and harmony within each project and between the project and its surroundings.
The interior of the snow clam is no less impressive than its exterior. The three story home boasts three fireplaces, two garages and an entire story devoted to a children’s playroom. The gentle curves of the outside are brough into the home as well, with swooping ceilings and winding staircases. There may, in fact, be no better place to spend a ski vacation than wrapped up in front of one of the cozy stone fireplaces, watching the world go by from the multitude of windows.
