Martis Camp House
Client asked for a simple daylit house that would accommodate large family gatherings while offering privacy for sleeping from the gathering spaces.
The setting for this vacation house is a ski/golf community in an Alpine setting of 100 year old evergreen forest. The parcel itself adjoins forest service wild lands so wildfire protection was a requirement. The idea of the house was generated by a desire to build a place of shelter with a maximum connection to its site and natural landscape. Two pavilions splayed open to the west sunsets and distant mountain views contain the private and public spaces respectively. The two story form to the north contains the bedrooms/baths, office and garage with ski/mud entry. It is connected spatially to the second pavilion that contains the living spaces by a glazed space that houses the entry and kitchen. The pavilions are elongated along their east west axes and in section the overall form steps aggressively to the south to gain maximum solar exposure.
A rough board formed concrete wall defines the public spaces from the private spaces to the north and along with the floors, provides a heat sink for the house. It registers the kitchen and anchors the steel and mesquite stairs that rise to the upper floor. The balance of the Materials consist of a continuation of board formed concrete, exposed steel structure and Corten panels, Douglas fir framing, stainless steel and mesquite inlaid sanded concrete floors, mesquite floors, apple ply casework with sandblasted stainless steel countertops. A thermally broken aluminum window system with high performance glazing along with the fire resistant steel siding sheath the majority of the house. Reclaimed redwood skins the saddle bags to the north. The house is heated with radiant slabs and naturally ventilated. All spaces are designed with natural day light.