Outcrop Haus won a Merit Award in the 2024 WLA Awards in the Built – Private Residential category
Nestled within the grandeur of the Elk Mountain Range and overlooking the glacially formed valley below, Outcrop Haus, an endearing family retreat, blends nature and modernity. A series of gardens, courtyards, and terraces comprised of natural stone and native plantings seamlessly connect interior and exterior spaces, inspiring both reverence for the natural environment and a sense of tranquility for the owners and their guests. The 2.3-acre property sits on steep terrain along the fringes of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area. Inspired by the lands that make up the site’s panoramas, a multi-generational family of avid recreationists sought to create a home that commemorates the striking qualities of the natural environment, a place to reconnect with nature. The home embodies the ethereal qualities of the site’s context by abstracting the ecological and geological processes that characterize the Colorado Rockies.
While beautiful, the environment at 8,500’ is unforgiving and demands thoughtful landscape design that cultivates climate-sensitivity within the garden and outdoor spaces. Snowfall late into the spring and summer seasons, temperature fluctuations, and ongoing drought conditions informed a site-specific planting scheme that responds to the site’s harsh conditions. Sun/shade variability, prevailing winds, site soils, plant hardiness, and water consumption were all factors considered in the development of the plant palette.
A modern architectural design in this setting invites juxtaposition, which can be created through artful expression and dialogue between the wild and refined landscapes. A portrait of the Maroon Bells taken by Ansel Adams in 1951 captured the twin granite peaks mirroring themselves in the crystalline waters of Maroon Lake, evoking a breathtaking scene that vividly captures the spirit of the alpine ecosystem. Inspired by place, poetic interpretations of form and material combined with intentional detailing are experienced through a series of garden vignettes. The horizontally arranged quartzite stone cloaks the architectural features in tones of gray, which when mirrored in the water’s surface, hearkens back to reflections of striated peaks on the surface of high alpine lakes.
A highly collaborative approach combined the creative talents of the landscape architect and architect to achieve the family’s ultimate vision. The architectural volume negotiates the site’s topography and is eroded to create outdoor rooms that seamlessly integrate indoor/outdoor experiences. Working alongside a diverse team of builders and craftsmen, the outdoor spaces become an extension of the home.
In rural communities, landscape architects can reframe human impacts of development by foregrounding the benefits resilient landscapes provide to the broader environment. In lieu of maximizing lawn, the central courtyard assembles a curated wildflower meadow as an artful tapestry composed of the native flora that naturally cascade down adjacent slopes. The restored meadow supports local pollinators, provides fodder for bird populations, and lowers the garden’s water consumption. Critical to the success of the garden, plant sourcing was limited to local suppliers to ensure plants grown are highly adept to the site’s climatic conditions. Embracing the mountain setting and carefully considering the site’s natural features, the design creates synergistic relationships between architectural modernity and the natural landscape.
High Alpine Modernism – Outcrop Haus
Landscape Architect: Design Workshop Inc. – Aspen, Colorado
Design Workshop Team: Richard Shaw, Feras Abdallah, Michael Tunte, Brandon Huttenlocher
Architecture: Wheeler Kearns Architects
Structural Engineering: Kaup Engineering, Inc.
MEP Engineering: Rader Engineering, Inc.
Civil Engineering: High Country Engineering, Inc.
Lighting Designer: Lux Populi
Landscape Contractor: Landscape Workshop, Inc.
General Contractor: Hansen Construction, Inc.
Image Credits: Brandon Huttenlocher/Design Workshop, Inc.
