Axis Mundi

This weekend retreat, nestled in a grove of aspens in Lizard Head Pass, Colorado, embodies the words of Henri Poincaré: “Ideas rose in clouds; I felt them collide until pairs interlocked, so to speak, making a stable combination.” It directly challenges many of our ideas about home. Rather than a place offering the illusion of protection from the outside world through solid structure, its openness, light and reflectivity make it arguably more transparent than even Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House. Featuring a floorplan that is an abstract interpretation of a cumulus cloud, the home’s five rotated, elliptically shaped glass pods approach invisibility at certain times of the year. Each pod serves a distinct programmatic function, though together they facilitate an easy and fluid flow accomplished by minimalist doors placed at the interstices where the pods meet. It functions as an ethereal meeting place between earth and sky.
Architect: John Beckmann
Design Team: John Beckmann, with Jacob George
Renderings: Catalin Sandru.
Diagrams and model: Jacob George and Jessica Marvin
Total Area: 2400 sq. ft., 600 sq. ft. exterior deck.
Major Materials: Steel structure, curved architectural glass, anodized aluminum, and epoxy flooring.