This custom home was designed to address two site specific challenges: the sustained high winds common to the Crowsnest Pass, and a precise interior sight line to a trout stream below the building site. Both came directly from the client and the land, and both shaped the design from the earliest decisions.
Wind is a defining environmental condition in the Crowsnest Pass, and it shaped the design from the start. Twelve inch thick exterior walls provided the structural depth needed to support large windows while maintaining building envelope performance in high wind conditions. Bedroom placement and overall massing were oriented to reduce exposure. The Southwestern aesthetic the clients selected proved well suited to these constraints, and large landscape stones anchor the structure visually to the surrounding terrain.
The clients had a specific requirement: a clear view of rising trout in the stream below, visible from the kitchen sink. To achieve it, Peake Design surveyed directly from the river’s edge up to the building site, establishing the precise geometry needed to position the windows and floor elevation correctly. The result is a functional sight line that performs exactly as the clients described in the initial brief.
The clients introduced salvaged timber as a core material early in the process. Architectural salvage and custom metalwork were integrated throughout, consistent with the Southwestern direction. Peake Design’s experience with reclaimed and salvaged materials allowed for efficient detailing and a cohesive finished result.
Site specific constraints, climate, topography, and a client defined functional requirement, became the foundation for a highly resolved custom home rather than obstacles to it.
