It occurs to me that I’ve started a few posts now with the words: ‘This has been one of my favourite houses for a long time…’ If not exactly those words, then something similar. But it’s true: I’ve been bookmarking houses for over a year in the run up to launching this blog. And yes, many of them are favourites.
It’s time to share another with Stone Creek Camp. Situated along a sloping hill at Bigfork, Montana, this isn’t one house but rather a series of buildings starting with a pair of gatehouses and progressing to the main house, the main lodge and the guesthouse. The project is the work of the architects Andersson Wise and was completed in 2008.
For me, Stone Creek Camp stands out thanks to the use of natural materials that ground each building to its location. The buildings offer contrasting experiences, with small windows and thick walls facing the slope of the site behind, while extensive glazing opens up the interiors towards the lake on the other side.
The first two images (top) sum up what I love about this project: the main house feels rustic and incredibly tactile, almost as if the building has grown out from the land, yet it’s also so crisply detailed.
ArchDaily featured this house back in 2010 and summed it up well: ‘Like the lake, (these buildings) feel as if they have been – and will be – here forever.’
Photography by Art Gray. For more information and images see the post on ArchDaily or the large scale photos featured on the architects’ website.
