Mountain Lodge Sierra Nevada USA

0001Mountain Lodge Sierra Nevada USA

As a replace­ment for a moun­tain lodge in California that was destroyed by fire, the archi­tects propo­sed a prefab­ri­cated con­struc­tion consis­ting of wooden ele­ments. The envi­sioned struc­ture would be covered in bitu­men with pressed-in pebbles. Viewers would asso­ciate the mineral shell with the unspoiled nature of the sur­round­ings. Mirrored win­dows jut out from the mine­ral facade. They reflect the sur­round­ings, and can also serve as solar collectors. The energy harves­ted in this way can be used for hot water proces­sing.

The mountain lodge con­sists of eight hea­ted boxes. Four boxes are loca­ted in the ground floor, and an addi­tional four in the upper story. The spaces between the boxes contain the entrance hall and the recep­tion area, and are heated only to a mode­rate degree by the warmth of the chim­neys or by the sun. The warm pale tones of the interiors of the eight boxes con­trast with the dark, cool tones of the hall and the dark red cavi­ties of the thick walls.

With regard to dimen­sions and weight, the prefab­ricated wooden ele­ments are adapted to the trans­port capa­cities of a heli­copter. The ele­ments consist of a very thick wall, into which all instal­lations would be inser­ted already at the factory stage.

All technical facili­ties, toilet facili­ties, showers, stair­cases, chim­neys, beds, and storage rooms are accom­mo­dated inside the wall volume. The remain­ing space can be configured freely.