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Olson Kundig Architects

Based in Seattle, Washington, Olson Kundig Architects juxtaposes grounded horizontal forms with moments of visual weightlessness, elevating expansive platforms on slender stilts over sloped terrain and using concealed lighting to lift heavy metallic fixtures within interior lobbies. The portfolio offers a precise reference when detailing cantilevered decks above sensitive natural landscapes, contrasting low rooflines with vertical structural accents, or integrating custom sculptural screens within cultural and residential living halls.

Two-story glass and steel mountain residence by Olson Kundig Architects at dusk, overlooking a forested valley.

Cedar Peak House

A modern mountain residence precedent featuring a transparent glass pavilion and deep overhanging roofs that frame extensive forest and valley views at dusk.

What we like about this project
Brightly lit red interior furnishings create vibrant pockets of color against the dark alpine backdrop.

Materials

  • glass
  • steel
  • concrete
  • timber

Visual identifiers

  • floor-to-ceiling-glass
  • overhanging-roof
  • concrete-chimney
  • mountain-setting

Style tags

  • contemporary
  • modernist
  • regionalist

Visual tags

  • mountain-architecture
  • residential
  • modernist
  • evening-light
  • transparent-pavilion
Geometry
Low-slung rectilinear pavilion with deep overhanging roof planes, large floor-to-ceiling glass expanses, and an exposed concrete core anchored into a sloping site.
Facade system
Floor-to-ceiling glazed curtain wall with thin steel framing and deep timber-lined eaves.
Structural guess
Steel moment frame with concrete core stability.
Spatial scale
Two-story residential scale, fitting snugly into the sloping pine-forested terrain.
Lighting
Warm interior artificial illumination contrasting with the cool blue-hour twilight of the mountain landscape.
Atmosphere
Serene and glowing warmth nestled within a cool, darkening alpine forest.
Environmental context
Isolated mountainous site surrounded by evergreen forest and distant ridgelines under a dusk sky.
Spatial experience
Interior spaces glow brightly against the evening twilight, drawing the eye outward through transparent walls toward the expansive mountain landscape.
Composition rhythm
Strong horizontal roof and floor planes balanced by vertical steel window mullions and a central concrete chimney mass.
Style reading
Contemporary regional modernism
Program
Single-family mountain residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture
Materials
glass, steel, concrete, timber
Visual identifiers
floor-to-ceiling-glass, overhanging-roof, concrete-chimney, mountain-setting
Style tags
contemporary, modernist, regionalist
Visual tags
mountain-architecture, residential, modernist, evening-light, transparent-pavilion
Geometry
Low-slung rectilinear pavilion with deep overhanging roof planes, large floor-to-ceiling glass expanses, and an exposed concrete core anchored into a sloping site.
Facade system
Floor-to-ceiling glazed curtain wall with thin steel framing and deep timber-lined eaves.
Structural guess
Steel moment frame with concrete core stability.
Spatial scale
Two-story residential scale, fitting snugly into the sloping pine-forested terrain.
Lighting
Warm interior artificial illumination contrasting with the cool blue-hour twilight of the mountain landscape.
Atmosphere
Serene and glowing warmth nestled within a cool, darkening alpine forest.
Environmental context
Isolated mountainous site surrounded by evergreen forest and distant ridgelines under a dusk sky.
Spatial experience
Interior spaces glow brightly against the evening twilight, drawing the eye outward through transparent walls toward the expansive mountain landscape.
Composition rhythm
Strong horizontal roof and floor planes balanced by vertical steel window mullions and a central concrete chimney mass.
Style reading
Contemporary regional modernism
Program
Single-family mountain residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture

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  • Firms
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AI Native Apps

  • AI Mode Search
  • SoftMarket
  • 2nd Brain

About HappyCluster

  • About
  • How it works
  • Contact

Connect

  • Waitlist
  • X
  • GitHub

Legal

  • Privacy
  • Terms

HappyCluster

© 2026

Two-story glass and steel mountain residence by Olson Kundig Architects at dusk, overlooking a forested valley.

Cedar Peak House

A modern mountain residence precedent featuring a transparent glass pavilion and deep overhanging roofs that frame extensive forest and valley views at dusk.

What we like about this project
Brightly lit red interior furnishings create vibrant pockets of color against the dark alpine backdrop.

Materials

  • glass
  • steel
  • concrete
  • timber

Visual identifiers

  • floor-to-ceiling-glass
  • overhanging-roof
  • concrete-chimney
  • mountain-setting

Style tags

  • contemporary
  • modernist
  • regionalist

Visual tags

  • mountain-architecture
  • residential
  • modernist
  • evening-light
  • transparent-pavilion
Geometry
Low-slung rectilinear pavilion with deep overhanging roof planes, large floor-to-ceiling glass expanses, and an exposed concrete core anchored into a sloping site.
Facade system
Floor-to-ceiling glazed curtain wall with thin steel framing and deep timber-lined eaves.
Structural guess
Steel moment frame with concrete core stability.
Spatial scale
Two-story residential scale, fitting snugly into the sloping pine-forested terrain.
Lighting
Warm interior artificial illumination contrasting with the cool blue-hour twilight of the mountain landscape.
Atmosphere
Serene and glowing warmth nestled within a cool, darkening alpine forest.
Environmental context
Isolated mountainous site surrounded by evergreen forest and distant ridgelines under a dusk sky.
Spatial experience
Interior spaces glow brightly against the evening twilight, drawing the eye outward through transparent walls toward the expansive mountain landscape.
Composition rhythm
Strong horizontal roof and floor planes balanced by vertical steel window mullions and a central concrete chimney mass.
Style reading
Contemporary regional modernism
Program
Single-family mountain residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture
Materials
glass, steel, concrete, timber
Visual identifiers
floor-to-ceiling-glass, overhanging-roof, concrete-chimney, mountain-setting
Style tags
contemporary, modernist, regionalist
Visual tags
mountain-architecture, residential, modernist, evening-light, transparent-pavilion
Geometry
Low-slung rectilinear pavilion with deep overhanging roof planes, large floor-to-ceiling glass expanses, and an exposed concrete core anchored into a sloping site.
Facade system
Floor-to-ceiling glazed curtain wall with thin steel framing and deep timber-lined eaves.
Structural guess
Steel moment frame with concrete core stability.
Spatial scale
Two-story residential scale, fitting snugly into the sloping pine-forested terrain.
Lighting
Warm interior artificial illumination contrasting with the cool blue-hour twilight of the mountain landscape.
Atmosphere
Serene and glowing warmth nestled within a cool, darkening alpine forest.
Environmental context
Isolated mountainous site surrounded by evergreen forest and distant ridgelines under a dusk sky.
Spatial experience
Interior spaces glow brightly against the evening twilight, drawing the eye outward through transparent walls toward the expansive mountain landscape.
Composition rhythm
Strong horizontal roof and floor planes balanced by vertical steel window mullions and a central concrete chimney mass.
Style reading
Contemporary regional modernism
Program
Single-family mountain residence
Perspective
Exterior Facade
Discipline
architecture

Related in this portfolio