Ketchum, Idaho,United States
SPG Architects
Post By:Kittcoon Poopong
Photo © Tim Brown, Balance Productions
Architect Coty Sidnam and her former partner William Patrone of SPG Architects believe that materials, not decorative ornamentation, should represent spatial areas in architecture. Because this basic tenet clicked with the clients, Sidnam and Patrone became the architects of choice to build a year-round retreat for a couple who are connoisseurs of
Modern architecture. The architects found themselves aced with the challenge of building a modern, five- bedroom residence on a half-acre lot in Ketchum, Idaho. As if the lot's confined spatial parameters, including a 20-foot grade change, were not enough, the area, which Sidnam describes as "highly built out, a neighborhood where houses sit cheek to jowl," had a serious privacy factor to consider. While ensuring that the clients' private lives would be hidden from neighbors, the architects also had to design the home to allow for maximum access to views of the surrounding landscapes.
Photo © Tim Brown, Balance Productions
The long and narrow shape of the site informs the home's design. Placement of large, glazed facades and entrances at the north and south ends takes advantage of distant mountain views. The east and west facades are wrapped in cedar wood and punctuated by strategically placed windows to permit privacy. Sidnam explains, "These small windows not only provide views but they also pull light into the room and present fantastic daylight opportunities." This solution is cleverly used in the kitchen, where the rectangular window facing the southwest perfectly frames Mount Baldy.
Photo © Tim Brown, Balance Productions
The resulting residence is a wood-wrapped, tubular-shaped structure perched and cantilevered on a concrete base. This design decision makes the fairly massive house—6,000 square-feet—appear less bulky. "Conceptually, the upper section of the home can be viewed as an extruded section of a tube that could extend infinitely," describes Sidnam, "the glass enclosures at each end of the house are the tube's cut off points."
Photo © Tim Brown, Balance Productions
The architects placed the more utilitarian portions of the home within the concrete base of the residence. This basement area includes the garage, a gym, a
mechanical room, and a wine cellar. From here a stairway leads to the first floor where the main entry is located, as well as private areas including the master bedroom.
Photo © Tim Brown, Balance Productions
The program for the second floor—where the best views are available—consists of loft-like spaces for the more public areas. Discreet level changes demarcate and differentiate the spaces reserved for the kitchen, dining room, and living room. It is also at this level, where the importance of the two-story
stairwell and the architects' attention to material is most easily witnessed.
By day, the stairwell is lit by an expansive skylight. By night, the space is illuminated by the glass bridge that connects the dining room to the study. The greenish glow of the bridge is attributed to cold cathode tubes placed on its underside. Sidnam says, "The bridge becomes a chandelier at night. It was important to find a
light source that was invisible and not decorative." The architect's use of green-tinted Panelite on the walls of the stairwell helps refract light to the base of the stair.
The stair is not the only place where attention to detail and material is utilized. In the kitchen, the architects developed their own surface for the cabinets when the clients and she were unable to find what they were looking for. "We back-painted matte acrylic to resemble maple wood," says Sidnam. In the public areas, the architects created a random pattern for the placement of in-ceiling lights. "Functionally, it helps you get light where you need it and avoids any mistakes during construction," she explains. And, like a kaleidoscope, the reflection of the random light patterns in the glazed enclosures alludes to the stars and the sprawling landscape just outside the window.
Gross square footage:
6,000 ft. sq.
the People Architect
SPG Architects
(formerly Sidnam Petrone Gartner Architects)
136 West 21 Street
6th Floor
New York NY 10011
Tel 212 366 5500
Fax 212 366 6559
www.spgarchitects.com
info@spgarchitects.com Partner in Charge:
Caroline Sidnam
Project Team:
Caroline Sidnam, William Petrone, Sandra Aranguren Langston
Partner Responsible for Design:
William Petrone
Design Team:
William Petrone, Caroline Sidnam, Sandra Aranguren Langston
Interior design
Caroline Sidnam & Victor Bernstein
Engineer(s)
Structural:
Dick Purdy
PO Box 847
Hailey, ID 83333
208 726 5626
dickpurdy@earthlink.net
Consultant(s)
Landscape Design:
All Seasons Landscaping
901 South Maine Street
Bellevue ID 83313
208 788 3352
www.allseasons.info
General contractor
Engelmann Inc
660 2nd Avenue South
PO Box 6240
Ketchum ID 83340
208 726 9742
Project Manager - Alan Gelet
ahgelet@aol.com
Sub-Contractors
Cabinet Maker:
Jim Taft
Taft Design Works
PO Box 6455
Ketchum ID 83340
208 578 2107
jim@taftdesignworks.com
Window / Bridge:
Glass Masters
PO Box 4734
Ketchum ID 83340
208 726 1420
steen@sunvalley.net
Stair, Panelite and Dining Table:
Bill Amaya
Cimarron Lofting
PO Box 4796
1730 Lear Lane #C
Hailey ID 83333
208 578 0218
Metal Railing:
Dennis Proksa
Blackrock Forge Inc
5192 West, Old Highway 91
Pocatello ID 83204
208 775 4975
866 269 7420
Steel Cabinets and Shelving:
Mary’s Iron Studio
PO Box 358
112 S. Cherry
Mary Garrett
Shoshone ID
83352
208 886 2102
marysironstudio@onewest.com
Photographer(s)
Tim Brown, Balance Productions
PO Box 956
Bellevue ID 83313
(208) 726-6615
timbrownphotos@mac.com |
| the Products Structural system
Steel Moment frames w/ Wood infill Structure
Exterior cladding
Metal/glass curtain wall:
EFCO www.efcocorp.com
Concrete:
Poured in place Concrete
Wood:
Clear Cedar lap siding
Other siding:
Concrete fiber cement board
Roofing
Built-up roofing:
Rubber membrane
Windows
Aluminum:
EFCO www.efcocorp.com
Glazing
Glass:
3/4” clear insulated low-E glass
Skylights:
Custom by GlassMasters www.glassmasters.com
Specialty colored glazing:
Creative Central Inc, Vancouver WA
Doors
Entrances:
Custom by GlassMaster www.glassmasters.com
Aluminum doors (swinging & sliding):
EFCO www.efcocorp.com
Wood doors:
Solid core Maple
Upswinging doors:
Custom Aluminum Garage Door
Hardware
Locksets:
Omnia
Hinges & Tracks:
Hager, Rixson www.rixson.com, Hafele www.haefele.com
Cabinet hardware:
White Chapel www.whitechapel-ltd.com
Interior finishes
Wood flooring:
Clear Birch
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork:
Maple (solid and veneer)
Paints and stains:
Benjamin Moore www.benjaminmoore.com
Paneling at Stair:
Panelite
Plastic laminate:
Nuvacor Corp, NJ www.nuvacor.com
Kitchen Counters:
Lava Gold (Sicilian lava stone)
Floor and wall tile:
Refin Ardennes porcelain tile typical
Floor & wall tile:
Chinon Limestone – master bedroom
All bathroom slab:
Chinon Limestone
Furnishings
Sofas & Arm Chairs:
B&B Italia www.bebitalia.it, Dakota Jackson, Cassina, Vitra
Tables:
Custom coffee tables & Dining Table
Exterior lounge furniture:
Richard Schultz www.richardschultz.com
Rugs:
F.J. Hakimian www.fjhakimian.com
Exterior Railings & Sunscreen:
Aluminum frame w/ Perforated Aluminum panels (Custom)
Lighting
Stair bridge lighting:
Cold cathode tubes
Downlights:
Wever Ducre www.wever-ducre.com, Halo, PSM www.psm-lighting.com
Task lighting:
PSM www.psm-lighting.com, Side, Luce Plan, Lightolier www.lightolier.com
Exterior:
Bega www.bega-us.com, Wever Ducre www.wever-ducre.com, Shaper www.shaperlighting.com, Stonco www.stoncolighting.com
Controls:
Lutron www.lutron.com
Conveyance
Dumbwaiter:
The Elevator Company
Plumbing
Toilets:
Toto www.totousa.com
Lavatories:
LaCava
Tubs:
Waterworks www.waterworks.com
Bathroom fittings:
Vola
Kitchen fittings:
Dornbracht www.dornbracht.com
Kitchen Sinks:
Blanco America www.blancoamerica.com |
