Set in the Coast Mountains of western Canada, Whistler Ski House is a family retreat built to withstand its harsh mountain environment. Elevated ten feet above grade, the main level provides a sense of occupying the tree canopy while also floating above snowdrifts and the flood prone lake shore.
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider
Whistler Ski House
Whistler, Canada
The house is designed as two separate structures connected by an 80-foot-long glass-walled bridge. A custom designed horizontal shutter system creates privacy and also protects upholstery and art from harsh snow glare. With simple crank and switch controls, the façade can transform from glass-clad to semi-exposed with raw-edged Douglas fir louvers, to completely protected with weathered steel.
The bridge not only creates privacy between the two wings but also weaves through a grouping of evergreens. By spreading out the house across the site, trees were preserved and views maximized. On one, side the floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a mountain lake stretching across the foot of the property; on the other side is a forest of firs, hemlocks and aspens.
This mountain home is almost completely wrapped in operable devices to protect it from weather conditions. Its glazing can be fully exposed, or totally buttoned up, or somewhere in between.Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA
Design Principal
Memory Box
Shanghai, China
Wright Exhibition Space
Seattle, Washington
Publications
2021
“Whistler Ski House | Architect Magazine.” ARCHITECT, 25 Jan. 2021. Web.
“Whistler Ski House by Olson Kundig.” Architizer, 11 Jan. 2021. Web.
2020
Pearse, Karen. Splendor of Marble: Marvelous Spaces by the World’s Top Architects and Designers. New York: Rizzoli, 2020. Book.
Singhal, Sumit. “Whistler Ski House in Canada by Olson Kundig.” AECCafe, 18 Feb. 2020. Web.
“Whistler Ski House / Olson Kundig.” ArchDaily, 26 Jan. 2020. Web.
2019
Eggers, Rachel. “Cold Comfort.” Gray Magazine, Feb/Mar. 2019, 48-59. Print.
Monie, Karine. “Mountain Retreat.” South Bay DIGS, 15 Nov. 2019, 60-61. Print.
2018
Alpille, Jean-Luc. “Barricadé à double tour.” Architecture Durable, Nov.-Dec. 2018 – Jan. 2019, 38-41. Print.
Ulusoy, Gozde. “Whistler Ski House.” Marie Claire Maison, Feb. 2018, 126-133. Print.
2016
Krchniaková, Korina. “Raj pre vás, lyžiari.” ATRIUM, Feb. 2016, 64-75. Print.
Lasky, Julie. “Tom Kundig’s Whistler Ski House.” Departures, 10 Feb. 2016. Web.
Wang, Yuki. “Panoramic View.” RESIDENCE, Feb. 2016, 56-65. Print.
2014
Kundig, Tom. “Cold Comfort.” Monocle, Winter 2014, 24. Print.