Modern Rural Idaho Home by Olson Kundig
The Bigwood Residence by architectural firm Olson Kundig is tucked into a hillside in Sun Valley, a resort town in Idaho. Encompassing 6,500 square feet (604 square metres), the two-storey vacation home offers sweeping views of natural landmarks such as Bald Mountain, Griffin Butte and Adams Gulch.
The house is composed of two cantilevering bars made of glass and steel, which project toward the landscape. One bar serves as the main dwelling, while the other contains guest quarters.
Providing a strong connection to the surrounding environment was a guiding concern for the architects. With exterior steel windows and door systems by Dynamic Architectural,
“The outdoors is welcomed in at nearly every turn, with expansive windows and wide-swinging doors that celebrate the interior/exterior connection.”
A number of clever hardware systems are incorporated into the building including a 23-foot-wide (seven-metre) glass wall that lifts up, enabling the space to be fully open to the outdoors. The wall is operated via a hand crank and is counterbalanced by a large, steel weight that rises five feet (1.5 metres) above the roof.
In a sewing room on the ground level, “eroding corner” glass doors pivot open and provide a seamless connection to an intimate courtyard. An overhanging metal roof helps shade the glazed walls, as do exterior metal blinds.
Read the entire article and view more photos of this modern rural Idaho home.
Courtesy of DeZeen magazine
- Home Builder: Schuchart Dow
- Architecture: Olson Kundig
