Canyon House
Located at the mouth of the Little Cottonwood Canyon just south of Salt Lake City, Utah, Canyon House is sited on a steep and rugged foothill and takes full advantage of its spectacular mountainous environs. With a low profile and its emphasized horizontality, nearly half of the three-story house is buried below grade to reduce its apparent mass and respect the natural terrain. The house consists of three components: a Pavilion, a Parterre, and a Box, all of which heighten one’s awareness of the terrain through their spatial arrangement on the site.
The selection of materials indigenous to the mountainside are collaged together to reflect the primitive and natural beauty of the terrain. Exposed structural steel, architectural concrete, native rock, and cedar make up the exterior palette.