wee Ski Chalet

The wee Ski Chalet represents a shift in one family’s vision for a place to call home after a day skiing on the mountain. Embedded in a Colorado ski resort and accessible only via snowmobile during the winter season, the cabin rejects the more prevalent ostentatious visual language often seen in oversized and underdesigned mountain lodges, and opts instead for a cozy retreat from the elements that achieves high levels of sustainability in an exacting environment.

In this near-net-zero 1000 square foot home, SIPs wall systems and a PV array housed on a reclaimed shipping container workshop, as well as passive solar siting and wheat board interiors, all contribute to the home’s low environmental impact.

The plan is a simple rectangle with open living-dining-kitchen and bath below. A space-saving staircase allows for a lower level office, while upstairs the bedrooms’ open half wall allows for convective flow from below and a sense of intimate family connection. Decks on three sides define a more contained outdoor realm within the sprawling nature surrounding the home.

The wee ski Chalet was recognized as the Sustainability winner in the 2008 AIA Colorado Design Awards, and was featured in Colorado Homes and Lifestyles Sustainability Issue.