Crescent H

The 35-acre lot of forest, sagebrush, and mesic upland
affords sweeping panoramas of valley and mountain views.
The site’s horizontality and low vegetation – a result of a
fire that wiped out all but the aspen trees – informs the
structure’s low-slung sod rooflines design. The house’s
upturned, butterfly rooflines maximize earth sheltered
northern views while deemphasizing verticality, creating a
“ground scraper” effect. The 15,000-square-foot
residence’s curving facade exploits the viewshed without
prioritizing any single feature of the surrounding wildlands.
The curving datum wall of the main house is echoed in the
7,000-square-foot guesthouse, creating a dynamic yin-yang
relationship between the two nearly interlocking crescent
shapes. Both structures rely on an honest and revealing
design vocabulary, with structural components such as a
steel moment frame in the living room left exposed to
communicate purpose and function.

Throughout, a palette of complementary materials –
limestone, West African Wenge, Brazilian rosewood, gold
leaf, and walnut – is applied with precision. In the indoor
swimming pool glass tile, custom-designed LED lighting and
skylights reflect a watery aesthetic. The pool opens to an
outdoor patio and adjoining lawn. With the building cluster
surrounded by private tennis courts, climbing wall,
basketball court, pond, caretaker’s residence and mountain
bike trail. Despite the overall grand aesthetic, the building
envelope consumes less than three acres of the site, in
keeping with the owner’s donation of more than 75% of the
land to a scenic easement trust.