Featured: Between a River and a Road
Architect Tom Lenchek creates an energy-smart contemporary home fit for its spectacular Montana setting..
ARCHITECTURE BY BALANCE ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS
On a narrow bit of land between Montana’s Gallatin River and the highway to Big Sky, a contemporary home rises from the rugged landscape. Made of concrete, steel and glass, the 4,200-square-foot structure takes its cue from its surroundings: the drama of mountains, river and sky.
Architect Tom Lenchek and his team at Seattle-based Balance Associates, Architects, and homeowners Mike and Andrea Scholz recognized in the challenging site an opportunity to heighten their experience of Montana’s Big Sky country. And so they set about designing a structure with strong ties to the environment, not just in terms of its form but its function as well.
MOUNTAIN LIVING: How did the narrow site influence your design for this home?
Tom Lenchek: The house sits between a busy highway and the Gallatin River. Our goal was to capture specific views of the river and orient the house toward the sun, while shielding it from the busy highway. The solution was an angled shape.
ML: Did the home’s surroundings also inspire the materials palette?
TL: The setting is so dramatic that the house doesn’t need to do much. We wanted something robust-looking sitting in the rough landscape, and I like the mix of rough and sophisticated: concrete and steel with glass and wood. Our main goal was to connect the building to the environment by using the same materials for the interior and exterior. The concrete floor easily extends from the interiors to the outdoors, as does the wood ceiling. The structure dictated other interior finishes, such as the fir windows, as well.
To read full article, please click here.
ARCHITECTURE BY BALANCE ASSOCIATES, ARCHITECTS
On a narrow bit of land between Montana’s Gallatin River and the highway to Big Sky, a contemporary home rises from the rugged landscape. Made of concrete, steel and glass, the 4,200-square-foot structure takes its cue from its surroundings: the drama of mountains, river and sky.
Architect Tom Lenchek and his team at Seattle-based Balance Associates, Architects, and homeowners Mike and Andrea Scholz recognized in the challenging site an opportunity to heighten their experience of Montana’s Big Sky country. And so they set about designing a structure with strong ties to the environment, not just in terms of its form but its function as well.
MOUNTAIN LIVING: How did the narrow site influence your design for this home?
Tom Lenchek: The house sits between a busy highway and the Gallatin River. Our goal was to capture specific views of the river and orient the house toward the sun, while shielding it from the busy highway. The solution was an angled shape.
ML: Did the home’s surroundings also inspire the materials palette?
TL: The setting is so dramatic that the house doesn’t need to do much. We wanted something robust-looking sitting in the rough landscape, and I like the mix of rough and sophisticated: concrete and steel with glass and wood. Our main goal was to connect the building to the environment by using the same materials for the interior and exterior. The concrete floor easily extends from the interiors to the outdoors, as does the wood ceiling. The structure dictated other interior finishes, such as the fir windows, as well.
To read full article, please click here.
