A Minimalist Family Home Hangs Over a Cliff Overlooking the Alta Lake

A modern concrete family home built by British-based architecture studio Gort Scott overlooks the Alta Lake in Whistler, British Columbia.

Planted on a rocky cliff in the Canadian mountain resort, “The Rock” house was dreamed up to mirror and blend in with the vast surroundings of the mountainous landscape. “The Rock” is a four-story home divided into three areas with each housing its own chimney and blackened timber cladding. Two of which shape up the six-bedroom main house with the third providing a more intimate two-bedroom guest house. A series of terraces open up the design allowing time spent with nature, while the first-floor terrace connects the two main areas together as an infinity pool expands the walkway.

Looking into the interiors, wide windows frame the sceneries of the lake and stretch out the light and airy subterranean living spaces. The cold exposed concrete contrasts with the warm wooden ceilings to complement the subtle textiles. Along with a few bedrooms melded into the rock and others sitting atop of it, the home highlights additional rooms for a cinema, gym, and wine cellar.

“The contractor also rose to the challenge of this complex building and made it beautifully,” noted Partner Fiona Scott. “The house grows out of the landscape but isn’t deferential to it, neither does it dominate it – we feel the house and the rock are better for each other.”

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