The Rock is a home rooted in the Canadian mountains
London architects Gort Scott create The Rock, a contemporary family home inspired by the scenery at the Canadian mountains of Whistler
![Entrance in the verdant landscape at The Rock house by Gort Scott](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BbtGXSQq3LfETpWWHMmeLb-415-80.jpg)
London architecture studio Gort Scott's newest offering blends design beauty and respect for nature. The Rock is a striking family home that was conceived as an architectural extension to the Canadian mountains. Rising from a series of landscaped levels cut into and built out of the mountainside, it generously comprises six bedrooms and a two-bedroom guesthouse.
Nestled into the slope's bedrock, the building's concrete architecture helps root it in its place. From there, emerge three distinct ‘blades’ that enclose the living spaces, holding a timber structure above.
Perched upon a distinctive rocky outcrop above Alta Lake, each room within the house is strategically located to make the most of key views from and towards the site, as well as solar orientation. The design supports the client’s deep appreciation of the site’s natural beauty, which was explored through sketching and observing the different weather conditions and times of day at the site.
The main house features a minimalist and contemporary approach, with the softness of textiles, polished wood and integrated fireplaces adding warmth to the sharp concrete. Gort Scott also designed all the interior finishes and bespoke fittings for the project. The subterranean spaces of the house, which include a cinema room, a gym, a wine room, a utility and service areas, were completed by carving into the rock.
With open-plan living, kitchen and dining spaces located on split levels at the north-western point around the crest of the rock, it is possible to step out onto the crest and the terraces overlooking the lake to catch the evening light from the west. The high ceiling in the kitchen and dining room is specifically engineered to frame the expansive views through full-height glazing to the north and south. Moving around the house evokes the experience of walking up the hill.
‘This journey to the crest of the rock, with its shifting horizons, has been a key driver in the layout and design of the building. Although we are placing a significant building on the site, our aim throughout has been to retain this experience when walking to and through the house,' say the architects.
The guesthouse is joined to the main house by an outdoor path that follows the contour of the site, exploiting the light from the south. Situated at the lowest point of the site, the guesthouse also marks the entrance to the property – a feature influenced by the tradition of small gateway buildings used in the composition of large house complexes by architects such as Edwin Lutyens and Karl Friedrich Schinkel. An infinity pool, shared by both the guesthouse and the main house completes the project.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
The Rock by Gort Scott.
INFORMATION
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Westminster Coroner's Court renovation delicately blends moments of softness and austerity
Westminster Coroner's Court gets a refresh and addition, courtesy of Lynch Architects and artist Brian Clarke
By Ellie Stathaki Published