Situated in a unique cliff-side site in the sought-after ski town of Whistler, Canada, sits Whistler House, a peaceful retreat guided by the sites natural jagged earth and tree-saturated greenery. This contemporary refuge hidden in the surrounding landscape provides a peaceful atmosphere where the exterior panorama is the main protagonist.
It all started when the client slipped on an outdoor stair leading to the original home on site. With a new baby in the family’s life, the old residence needed an overhaul; this residence needed to be the epitome of calm, not worry. The client came to the design team with a preliminary concept of the residence in the form of empty cereal boxes and tape. Using this early mock-up as guidance, the team began to form the house around the site’s complex massing whilst aiming to prioritize the natural views and architectural quality of the project.
One of the biggest challenges for the architects was the site itself which was very small in footprint and mostly comprised of jagged stone and bedrock. Therefore, some of the earliest decisions surrounded structural coordination and succinct programming. Alongside the cereal-box prototype, the massing soon developed into a discreet ground floor (minimal intervention on the land) and a much more generous second floor, fully glazed to do the mountain views justice. A greenroof rooftop patio added outdoor living at its best, high amongst the trees and sunshine.
Built entirely with stone and natural materials, the modest 185-square-meter, two-bedroom house is made up of wood, glass and stone extracted from the exact mountain on which the home is located. With these materials, the architecture blends organically with the environment. Not a piece of drywall was considered for the house.
The lower floor of Whistler House holds the main entrance, secondary bedroom, mudroom, lower family room and a discreet heated pool in a grotto-like space. This floor feels carved out of the mountain’s natural rock; it is weighted, enclosed and cozy. In contrast, upstairs, the wood and glass volume holds the kitchen, main living spaces and master bedroom. The glazing chosen maximized the limits of glass, to achieve as few joints as possible. The second floor’s plan has few walls, and those in the plan are all internal, allowing for the largest expanse of exterior glass as possible. The only stone element that appears on this level is the generous fireplace which separates dining and living areas. Lastly, accessed through a hatch, the highest level of the home contains the roof terrace with an open kitchen and a jacuzzi.
