Photographer: Aaron Leitz
The lodge is located on a hilltop within a former cattle farm that has been extensively restored and replanted to form the Walter C. Mountain Landing development.
The project suggests an incremental occupation of the site with materials and forms reflecting three discrete elements: stone observatory and underground store and a long barn-like form bisected by symmetrical flat roofed living and sleeping pavilions to create a cruciform plan.
The observation tower is formed from extruded nestled asymmetrical ellipses, each with entasis; a stair ascends between nestled forms and links wine cellar, guest suite and roof top observatory. The tower is a pivot around which the buildings making up the lodge are arrayed.
The project uses a number of materials found elsewhere at Mountain landing: in-situ concrete, weathered timber, raw steel and volcanic stones harvested from adjacent farmland.