Sun Valley Residence

Ketchum, ID, USA

Photo © Hélène Binet

Drawing © Brad Cloepfil

Photo © Victoria Sambunaris

Photo © Brad Cloepfil

Photo © Hélène Binet

arkkitehdit: Allied Works

Year: 2004

The Sun Valley Residence lays in a rolling meadow of native grasses and wildflowers at the base of a small hill, surrounded by an established residential neighborhood and the Sawtooth Mountains beyond.

Against the extreme conditions of the high mountain valley, the 4500 sf house creates a quiet sanctuary and gathering place. Four sets of interlocking concrete walls step up the base of Penny Hill. The smooth, sitecast walls weave through the meadows, inverting the landscape with alternating rhythms of enclosure and exposure - disclosing spectacular views while containing private outdoor courts and gardens. The simple roof forms rise and fall between the walls, varying the volumes to create both intimate places of repose as well as generous rooms that open to the landscape.