Gazing upon the Teton Mountain Range for the first time is an unforgettable experience. The mountain range is awe-inspiring in its magnitude and drama. This Wyomingite project, Five Shadows, belies the density of the surrounding area. It’s located on a prime site at the base of the mountain range in the fringes of a meadow near an aspen and conifer forest that cascades down from the summit of Rendezvous Peak.
Rising above a scene rich with extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain, the Teton Range stands as a monument to the people who fought to protect it. These are mountains of the imagination. Wyoming is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south.
Slightly elevated above neighbours, the compound oozes with a sense of privacy and screens nearby buildings through structural orientation and strategic window placement that provide broad views across the valley to the Gros Ventre Range.
The 1,200-square-metre house, reminiscent of a homesteader’s settlement, is composed of five connected, symmetrical, agrarian-inspired forms. Featuring minimal overhangs, the compound is organised to accommodate an extensive residential scheme.
The largest form hosts the public spaces, while the peripheral volumes capitalise on privacy for bedrooms and a den. The three central forms are linked by glassy connectors; they lie parallel to, and offset from, each other.
The remaining two forms, in turn, help define a series of distinct and different outdoor experiences; including the auto court at the entry, a west-facing courtyard that embraces an aspen grove, and a south-facing pool terrace flanked by a detached pool house.
The exteriors are clad simply in stone, with subtle steel detailing. A similarly minimal palette of rift-sawn white oak and white plaster defines the gracious interior spaces. The seeming simplicity of forms and materiality is the result of rigorous alignments and geometries, from the stone coursing on the exterior to the sequenced wood-plank coursing of the interior.
The layout of the multiple buildings induces a flow, an elegance – while the relationship between spaces cultivates intimacy. The formal proportions, material consistency, and painstaking craftsmanship in Five Shadows were all deliberately considered to enhance privacy, serenity, and a profound connection to the outdoors.
location: Teton Mountain Range, Wyoming, USA; CLB Architects team: Eric Logan, AIA; Principal; Andy Ankeny, AIA, Principal; Sam Ankeny, AIA, Associate; photography: Matthew Millman
interior design: Philip Nimmo; contractor: KWC, LLC; landscape: Hershberger Design; civil engineer: Nelson Engineering; structural engineer: KL&A, Inc.; mechanical engineer: JM Engineering; electrical engineer: Helius Lighting Group
