glashausen

The glashausen project is located minutes from downtown Salt Lake City in the rocky mountains of Utah, at an elevation of 6,000 ft. The site is a large expanse of terrain at the upper end of an alpine canyon, with topography comprised of a steep ridgeline covered in a mix of oak, sage, and native grasses between mountain peaks.

The purpose of glashausen is to provide a sustainable model for a family home where life is celebrated within glass and concrete volumes integrated into wooded canyon surroundings. The project program includes a 4,400 SF main house, 1,800 SF guest house, and 4,600 SF courtyard linked via a singular roof structure. The project is guided by the intent of good citizenship, forming a retreat from the chaos and pace of global life and heightens the role of nature in the domestic. The architecture re-defines development on the threshold between the urban and pristine; offering an escape for this family to dwell in the natural amenities of the mountain site with minimal disturbance to the existing conditions.

The site master planning effort carefully considered the preservation of open space; minimizing the presence of the home from the distant view; providing view corridors to the surrounding mountains and down the Canyon to the city lights; and maintaining the existing trail system through the site used by hikers, mountain bikers, and skiers as well as the ancient wildlife corridor used by elk, deer, and moose. The home site occupies a midslope plateau, relatively flat, but recessed from the road and surrounded on three sides by 7’ gambel oak. The majority of the home is a single-level construction above the existing grade, with the garage and building support functions recessed below. The low profile roof holds a single datum, minimizing the home’s presence from the residences and road below; while the vegetated roof blends with the native landscape minimizing the view of the residence from the trail system above.

The state-of-the-art architecture creates an environmentally respectful home design, targeted for LEED Platinum certification, with inspiring and sustainable elements throughout. The interior and exterior spaces are connected visually through glass walls and spatial quality is achieved through well-considered materials and details, and attention to the program elements of the main house and the guesthouse connected under a singular roof structure.