Some homes occupy the landscape. Others progress through it. By turns assertive and deferential, the latter can add an almost interactive layer to the environment, creating an exciting tension between the built and the natural. This is especially true when the built manifests a true self-possession as architecture, as the expression of an idea.
Situated on 15 acres outside Denver, with views of the Rocky Mountains, this keenly contemporary residence by the 86-year-old firm, Cushing Terrell, is a powerful presence fashioned from shou sugi ban cladding, zinc, and concrete. Sprawling — and with ceilings that rise to 22 feet at some points — it nonetheless appears integrated into the landscape. Its primary materials read as neutrals against the sky and surrounding greenery and the disposition of its various volumes (determined, in part, to preserve the trees on the property) create a singular visual rhythm.
Each of the four shou sugi ban elements — which the homeowners refer to as barns, alluding to the property’s agricultural past — support a specific programmatic intention, from entertaining guests to gathering privately with family. “If you think about a family farm, you find a collection of buildings, each with its own function,” notes Cushing Terrell design director, Charlie Deese. “Here, the barn idea is less a reference to the vernacular and more about function, massing, and character.”
Discrete as each of these volumes is, they are neither disconnected nor confining. The first one, comprising the entry and living room, is linked by a wide, class-clad corridor to a large and soaring expansive great room. Second-story hallways are open to the rooms below. “Careful alignments through the entire property allow glimpses from one function to the other while maintaining privacy,” says Deese.
Not in the city, but not quite in the country, the property is bounded on two sides by roadways. Deese situated the house on a corner of the property for a bit of seclusion and to allow the homeowners to fully enjoy views of their acreage, which includes grassland and a large pond. A stand of trees and concrete walls that splay out from the structure, create a buffer between nearby neighbors.
Establishing an intimate relationship with the site was central to the project. Transparency as much as scale defines the expansive great room, where gargantuan walls of glass truly blur the line between indoors and out. “Height played a critical role too,” shares Deese, “allowing spaces to nestle into the grade for more intimate settings, elevating bedroom suites to capture mountain views, or aligning entertainment spaces with connecting patios.” Multiple decks, including a massive expanse complete with a 75-foot lap pool, provide 8000 square feet of outdoor living space.
At over 13,000 square feet and impressively scaled, the house is not all about space. Although the primary suite — served by an elevator — features a terrifically commodious sitting area, along with two dressing rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms are roomy, but not excessively spacious. Even the large kitchen (most of it devoted to a sitting area outfitted with a big sectional sofa) possesses a certain homeyness, thanks to the lower ceiling and an abundance of Douglas fir.
While standing on a firmly articulated functional program, this Western home is infused with a sense of discovery. “There is a loose axial alignment within each barn and between barns, but it is a journey, not a straight line,” says Deese. “The plan welcomes exploration by providing a glimpse into what’s next. There’s a DNA that carries from one space to another, but there are nooks, new views, or features unique to tech place, creating those little moments that make a house a home.”
Photography by Nathan Polta.
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