Eight homes built in the Rocky Mountain modern style – 【Download AUTOCAD Blocks,Drawings,Details,3D,PSD】

The Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada feature a host of contemporary houses that draw both from modernist architecture and their unique surroundings. John Gendall selects eight examples from his book Rocky Mountain Modern.

Gendall grew up in the Rocky Mountains, known colloquially as the Rockies, and his recently published book covers a variety of homes built in a style known as Rocky Mountain modernism – a loose designation describing residences influenced by the modern architecture movement and the mountainous geography of the region.

While modernism has always had roots in the Rockies – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s first US commission was in Wyoming – the style has since evolved in tandem with the unique environmental conditions of the region.

“An artful response to what can be extreme conditions”

“In form and materiality, [Rocky Mountain modernism] draws from vernacular building, learning from the cabins and ranch sheds that predated modernism,” Gendall told Dezeen.

“In a place with an intense climate, Rocky Mountain modernism is more than a style – it is an artful response to what can be extreme conditions.”

When putting together the examples in his book, Gendall said he wanted to show the diversity of the environments in the region.

“Even though the geography is linked by a name – the Rocky Mountains – the environment is remarkably diverse,” he said.

“There are the rugged peaks that are the typical emblems of the region, of course, but there are also high deserts, lush valleys, rolling foothills and sweeping plains.”

Modern architecture can address “design challenges” of the region

To mark this diversity, Gendall has selected projects that stretch from Golden, New Mexico, in the American Southwest up to Golden, British Columbia, in Canada.

The contemporary focus of the book shows the continued relevance of the style and how it responds to pressing environmental concerns and changes.

“Not only are there many talented designers working in the region, but the types of challenges the region faces – land and water conservation, habitat preservation, energy management and environmental sustainability – are design challenges that modern architecture can address,” he said.

Read on for Gendall’s picks of Rocky Mountain modern homes that exemplify the contemporary iterations of the style.

Interior of Steel House by VJAA — The photograph is by Paul Crosby

Steel House by VJAA, Colorado

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Big Cabin Little Cabin by Renée del Gaudio, Colorado

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Jackson Hole House by McLean Quinlan, Wyoming

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5280 House by Barkow Leibinger, Montana

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Blur House by Studio B, Colorado

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Sun Valley House by Allied Works, Idaho

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