Butte Residence

What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?

We received this commission after an interview process with the owner that included various project tours, a site visit and a preliminary site analysis.

Can you describe your design process for the building?

Our process began with a thorough study of the extraordinary 38-acre property located on a butte above Jackson, Wyoming. Next, a narrative describing the quantitative and qualitative criteria for a residential program was developed with the owner. These two documents guided our design decisions.

The design was driven by the desire to capitalize on the potential of the site while integrating the buildings with the topography and maintaining a modest profile against the skyline. As a collector of contemporary painting and sculpture, the owner desired architecture with a character and materiality the respects western tradition but embraces abstract, clean, light-filled spaces.

How does the completed building compare to the project as designed? Were there any dramatic changes between the two and/or lessons learned during construction?

The original design for this project was much more ambitious in terms of size and formal expression. At the beginning of the world financial crisis of 2008 the design team had completed approximately 50% of the Design Development documentation when the owner put the project on indefinite hold. Eighteen months later we were asked to resume work with new design criteria that the project be rethought, reduced, simplified. Compared to the pre-financial crisis design, the hiatus led to fresh thinking that resulted in an improved and consolidated plan.

How does the building compare to other projects in your office, be it the same or other building types?

All projects in our studio are subjected to a similar design process based on understanding specific site influences, owners’ programmatic desires and design interests. This particular project is different from much of our other residential work as the building form is less referential to vernacular structures, more abstract and sculptural.

Are there any new/upcoming projects in your office that this building’s design and construction has influenced?

This project is part of a continuum of work that explores a range of responses to residential design in the Rocky Mountains. The roof system and the roof edge in particular are problems that receive extensive study in all our work. Heroic overhangs rendered with thin edges present a very difficult design challenge within this high snow load, high seismic zone environment. This project is about the roof, its graceful form, thin edges, and sheltering qualities, and those lessons, both formal and technical, have influenced the design of subsequent projects.

How would you describe the architecture of Wyoming and how does the building relate to it?

Wyoming is the least populated state per square mile within the United States. As a result, we enjoy wide-open spaces and extremely varied and powerful landscapes. Ranching and agriculture traditions have left us a legacy of utilitarian buildings; cabins, barns, corrals, etc., that exist as objects in this environment. We find inspiration in the simplicity of these buildings and their matter-of-fact approach to form and material. This project attempts to respect this tradition by utilizing a single gesture for its form, creating an object presence on the site but maintaining a subtle profile to compliment, not compete with, the natural environment.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.