Stuart Silk Architects designed this fascinating concrete and steel dwelling perched at 8,100’ on a mountainside in Montana’s Madison Range. The Yellowstone Residence features massing and materials that are derived from the powerful landscape. The exterior of the house is a composition of core-ten steel and board-formed concrete – materials that metaphorically embrace the harshness of the site and its immediate environment.
The structure is organized by a massive concrete wall that cleaves the house and extends into the landscape to the north and south. Approached alongside the wall, the entrance is carved between the wall and a faceted perpendicular concrete volume which recalls the boulders strewn about the site. The wall extends through the living room, where it directs the view across a timbered valley, directly toward the 9,800’ summit of Pioneer Mountain and the sky itself. The core-ten was selected to merge the home with the rocky soil becoming an outgrowth of its site.
One enters the upper floor of this two-story home. The principal spaces are the 15-foot tall living room flanked by the 11-foot tall volumes containing the kitchen/dining room to the west and by the master bedroom suite to the east. The lower floor contains the entertainment room, three guest suites, and a bunk room.
To maintain privacy the home is nearly opaque on the entry side of the building except for a tall narrow slot of glass in the faceted concrete and a two-sided projecting corner window that provides views to the north and east from the master bathroom. The two ceiling heights modulate the composition and are a subliminal reminder of the hierarchical structure of the surrounding mountains.
The interior materials palette is similarly elemental. At each level, a cedar slatted ceiling is supported above the monolithic concrete floor by blackened steel columns. Blackened steel also delineates apertures in the thick walls. Floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls allow unobstructed views of the dramatic alpine landscape and sky, while a continuous band of clerestory windows in the living room allows balanced light to penetrate the home from four sides.
What We Love: This concrete and steel dwelling offers a fascinating exterior facade, perched on a mountainside. The interiors are beautifully designed with sleek materials and stylish furnishings, perfect for entertaining. Expansive windows frame breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains that delight the senses. The use of wood on the ceiling and a layering of textures add warmth to this modern design.
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Note: Have a look at a couple of other inspiring home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of the architects of this project, Stuart Silk Architects: Contemporary shingle style house on the shores of Lake Washington and Mercer Island residence becomes open and functional home.
Two sculptural steel elements – an oversized pivot door at the entrance, and a ¾’ thick twenty-foot long stair railing – are decorated with arrays of square glass holes, abstractly reminiscent of stars in the night sky. The railing is supported by rectilinear steel dowels embedded into the concrete stair.
Photos: Aaron Leitz, Whitney Kammam
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