Land+Living: Khyber Ridge Residence

Architecture — November 12, 2005 Posted by James

About being on the slope

It would seem that former pro snowboarder Marc Morisset selected the site for his home the way he would pick a line. Sited on a steep wooded hillside in Whistler, B.C., the house nearly rides the site; carving and floating down the slope while grabbing exhilarating moments of big air.

The house is about being on the slope... composed of crevasses and plateaus.

Designed by San Francisco based Studio (n-1), the firm of Dutch transplants Christos Marcopoulos and Carol Moukheibe, the three bedroom house is set in an Intrawest planned subdivision. The architects pushed and pulled at the stringent Design Guidelines to create a modern mountain home in contrast with the more typical neighbors, but in harmony with its environment.

An article in the NY Times provides other interesting tidbits in talking with the owner and architects, though they can't seem to keep all their facts straight... Squaw Valley is in California (not Nevada), and I could split some other hairs as well... but I won't.

Firm: Studio (n-1)
Article: NY Times - The Boarding House
Photos: NY Times

Climbing from the road like a backcountry excursion, the house is made up of five levels that engage the landscape at different points. Parts of the house are cave-like excavations into the hillside, while the living room is a cantilevered space hovering in the trees.

View Land+Living Maps in a larger map

17 comments

Comments (17)

Miriam — November 16, 2005

WoW!

Yeah Right — November 18, 2005
This is not in harmony

this house is not in harmony with the environment. It is a sore upon the land. A herpe. Many trees were cut down to build this house. The site once had trees on it. Now the earth has a toxic pile of cool looking crap that rapes the earth of nutrients and drowns the soil with toxins. Dynamite was used to blast the site so they could build upon it. But hey at least it looks cool! Right?

yeah wrong — November 24, 2005
Cool Indeed

All architecture is toxic, that is the nature of the beast. Your raving is inarticulate. Your comment could be addressed to all architecture, including sustainable architecture (which really does not exist). Which leaves us with your cool statement...cool indeed!

Gina — November 24, 2005
Harmony for sure

Cool Indeed...I agree.

nick — March 24, 2006
Cost

How much do people pay or what is the price range for such homes. Plus were could u get designers for such houses?

lucky — April 14, 2006
not in harmony...pffft

and i guess you live in a tent? the house is amazing

gordon — April 17, 2006
harmony

the house is far more in harmony with the site than the other houses in the subdivsion or anywhere in Whistler for that matter. search the real estate sites for examples. as for construction costs, I think it was about C$200/sqft. building lots can be had for about $800,000. currently in the area. SKI magazine did a story on the house, and it is listed for sale on Sotheby's site, with a asking price.

gordon — April 17, 2006
one more thing,

what is really cool about the house is that when you are on the street you can only see the garage and the level immediately above it.

Whistler — May 12, 2006
Whistler

Well the house is listed for about 2.5 million Can$ and would have been built for about $400/ sf Can$. Its nicce to see a bit of a departure in town and although it raised some eyebroughs it got a better discussion to the table on what is an appropriate mountain asethetic. As is usually the case the drawing di not do it justice and that's why it took a long time to get approvals.

chz — May 29, 2006
Amazing House

I have personally stayed and partied in this house and it is amazing in every way. This is one of the few houses in Whistler that is in harmony with it's surroundings unlike all the Intrawet dictated cookie cutter homes which are really just boils on the beautiful Whistler landscape.

Anonymous — January 24, 2007
Contemporary Artpeice

This house is a contemporary piece of art and it can yours for $3,299,999-listed on sale... not bad.

Michael Lin — March 26, 2007
House

I worked for that guy and I think that house is an amazing piece of architecture.

fsiwfo — October 12, 2007
each to his own

I'd like to think that its pretty cool that Marc was able to have a dream of building and owning a piece of art like this and saw it through. Trees or no trees, good or bad taste, birkenstalks or nikes, there is nothing wrong with someone following their dreams...nice work marc.

Stuart Hooper — January 9, 2009
hi aj1zjpz5c6ojpzmg good luck

hi aj1zjpz5c6ojpzmg good luck

Maurice Sanford — January 11, 2009
hi aj1zjpz5c6ojpzmg good luck

hi aj1zjpz5c6ojpzmg good luck

troy — September 17, 2009
dis like

i love dis house

troy — September 17, 2009

ryan troy is so gay