Private Residence

General Contractor

George Shaeffer Construction
Vail, Colorado

Copper manufacturer

Plath Construction
Eagle, Colorado

Specially patinated copper wall cladding in the form of interlocking copper shingles, and copper roof elements bring lasting protection to this home with a custom hue that ties it to the natural landscape.

Located in Edwards, Colorado in the White River National Forest Mountain Range at an elevation of 8,200 feet, the house is positioned to face a manmade pond with spectacular views of the surrounding Gore Range and New York Mountains. As an interpretation of the prevalent mountain lodge vocabulary, the project is a modernist response to the oversized log cabins that characterize many Colorado resorts.

Two major principles drove the overall design concept: the interpenetration of indoor and outdoor space, and the organization of the building around a central courtyard as an antidote to the overwhelming views. At 12,000 square feet, the house is substantial but feels more modest in scale because the building is arranged around the courtyard as a series of one-story pavilions dedicated to specific functions, with the exception of the three-story tower. Internal circulation is thus organized along the perimeter of the courtyard, the spaces opening directly from the corridor. Interior walls are solid, while exterior walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, shaded by horizontal brises-soleils to protect from excessive solar gain, provide ample natural light and constant views of the landscape. An exterior porch along the north side of the courtyard provides layered views south through the building.

The house is anchored on a stone plinth. A floating stepped wooden dock allows access to the water's edge from the south-facing terrace. The entrance façade of log-pole siding preserves the privacy of the complex, while the south façade opens to a long terrace, the water steps, and the pond. The main floor houses the guest rooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, library and playroom, while the family's bedrooms are organized vertically in the tower portion of the house. An outdoor living space between the living room and the library is shaded by a pergola of cedar beams connecting the two, and features a two-sided fireplace. Use of materials includes different types of siding, (i.e., log-pole siding and stacked beetle kill pine wood), and oxidized interlocking copper shingles. The shingles required custom field fabrication of the corner pieces to achieve the "stitching" of the outside corners. Field rock walls reinforce the building's relationship to the high mountain landscape.

The sloped roofs are sheathed with site-assembled 12-inch-wide standing seam, full-length copper panels installed to align with the centers of the cedar rafters. The roof panels were fabricated from copper coils and upon installation, were hand-sanded and treated with potash to achieve the rich dark patina. Years of experience brought to the project by the copper subcontractor, Plath Construction, provided seamlessly executed installation.

The door jamb and head were similarly sheathed with copper patinated with the same process as was used for the roof. The property's landscaping is discreet and based entirely on indigenous chaparral vegetation, so as to ground the house in its natural surrounding. A narrow path from the southwest corner of the plinth leads to a slant-roofed gazebo in the pond. A great deal of care was taken to build it with a minimum of disturbance to the site's natural vegetation and to provide an orientation favorable to passive solar heating. In addition, remotely located solar panels offset the building's energy consumption. Wall sections are highly insulated and all spaces are cross-ventilated.

Architectural Category: Flat Seam Roofs and Walls