BIG SKY LODGE, MONTANA 

SET WITHIN THE ALPINE LANDSCAPE OF BIG SKY, MONTANA, THIS LODGE IS CONCEIVED AS A CONTEMPORARY CONCRETE STRUCTURE SHAPED BY INDIGENOUS VISUAL LANGUAGE AND THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN. THE BUILDING’S FORM IS DERIVED FROM NATIVE AMERICAN DRAWINGS AND CARVINGS, TRANSLATED INTO FLOWING, INCISED GEOMETRIES THAT WRAP CONTINUOUSLY ACROSS ROOF, WALLS, AND OPENINGS. THESE ETCHED PATTERNS ARE NOT DECORATIVE OVERLAYS; THEY ARE INTEGRAL TO THE MASSING, READING AS TOPOGRAPHIC LINES THAT ECHO RIVERS, ANIMAL FORMS, AND ANCESTRAL NARRATIVES.

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CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE PROVIDES BOTH PERMANENCE AND PLASTICITY, ALLOWING THE STRUCTURE TO BE CARVED RATHER THAN ASSEMBLED. LARGE, OVAL APERTURES PUNCTURE THE ENVELOPE, FRAMING VIEWS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND SKY WHILE BRINGING DAYLIGHT DEEP INTO THE INTERIOR. THE LODGE APPEARS PARTIALLY EMBEDDED IN THE LANDSCAPE, GROUNDING IT VISUALLY AND THERMALLY, AND REINFORCING A SENSE OF SHELTER ROOTED IN THE LAND.

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INSIDE, THE SPACES UNFOLD AS A SERIES OF INTERCONNECTED CAVERNS ORGANIZED AROUND COMMUNAL GATHERING AREAS, FIREPLACES, AND FRAMED VISTAS. WARM LIGHT, NATURAL MATERIALS, AND SOFT FURNISHINGS CONTRAST WITH THE MONOLITHIC CONCRETE SHELL, CREATING AN ATMOSPHERE THAT IS BOTH PROTECTIVE AND INVITING. THE LODGE FUNCTIONS AS A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HUB, DESIGNED TO HOST COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCES WHILE HONORING THE INDIGENOUS TRADITIONS THAT INSPIRED ITS FORM.

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THE BIG SKY LODGE STANDS AS A DIALOGUE BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE, NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTIC HERITAGE, AND THE MONTANA WILDERNESS—AN ARCHITECTURE SHAPED BY STORY, LANDSCAPE, AND MATERIAL.

PROJECT LOCATION: BIG SKY, MONTANA

COMPLETION YEAR: -

GROSS BUILT AREA: -

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CLIENT: -