Scott & Scott's Mountain Retreat: A Refuge for Skiing Families

“Working with the high-snow and seismic reality of the Pacific Northwest mountains, we’re always balancing the expression of structure, which has to be robust to deal with these loads, and the desire for daylit, open spaces that have visual connections with the landscape,” says David Scott, a director at the firm with partner Susan Scott. “That’s always the duality.” As in vernacular alpine houses, the lowest level is given over to utilitarian spaces, though instead of stables there’s a garage, laundry, fitness and movie rooms, and space for drying gear. A recessed entrance is sheltered beneath the overhang of the main floor above. On the principal level, a kitchen, living/dining room, and den open onto a covered terrace set into the bluff. “It’s really quite dramatic how the space opens up both to the mountain and to the rock behind,” says Susan. “And, even though it’s a large volume, the wood surfaces and the expression of the lower part of the roof as the structure slopes down over the living room give it that intimate quality that people look for in a ski cabin.” With visitors often staying in the main level’s guest bedroom and bunk room, the clients wanted a separate zone for the family. This is located on the third floor, within the volume of the roof. The sloping ceilings and reduced floor area make for a cozy retreat, Susan says, “creating the comfort of a cabin in the woods within the larger home.” In addition to its traditional functions of sheltering sleeping quarters and shedding snow, the roof takes on a contemporary technological role, supporting a 35,100-watt photovoltaic array. Together with the house’s thickly insulated walls—roughly 10 percent of the building’s footprint—the system achieves net zero energy. “In an environment like this, there’s much more power generated in the winter months than you might expect,” David says. “You can have a bit of snow on the panels and they’re still functional.” With reinterpreted vernacular strategies evident in the building’s form, materials, and configuration, to what degree did the architects adapt them deliberately versus generating them as a rational response to site conditions? “A bit of both,” David says. “It wasn’t a conscious decision, but we arrived in the same place.”