[ Andersson Wise Architects ] Stone Creek Camp

Architects: Andersson Wise Architects
Location: Bigfork, Montana, USA
Project Team: Arthur Andersson, Chris Wise, Christopher Sanders, Becky Joye
Contractor: Bigfork Builders, Martel Construction
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Art Gray

This remote Montana Camp is situated along a sloping hill, leading visitors to discover the site progressively. From the gatehouses, a path leads down the hill to the master house, main lodge, and guesthouse. The buildings offer warm, almost cave-like spaces as well as expansive porches, open to the views and sunlight. Small windows and thick walls facing into the slope of the site are contrasted with entire walls that open up towards the lake. Inhabitants may choose to be outdoors while inside by sliding open walls or moving outside to spaces that are more civilized than the outlying wilderness. Similarly, with each bedroom’s separate screened-in space, it is always possible to sleep in nature and yet still be secure within the building.

The materials and textures of these buildings connect them to the site. The effect is paradoxical: despite their size, the camp’s large structures seem to emerge from the rock, wood, and grasses that surround them. Like the lake, they feel as if they have been – and will be – here forever.

from  archdaily