Burnt Cedar, Faulkner Architects’ Striking House On The North Shore Of Lake Tahoe

“Prior to being pulled up the hill to flumes and rails destined for Virginia City, trees were staged here, as the mountains around the lake shore were logged during the silver mining years of the 1860s,” explains lead architect Greg Faulkner to IGNANT. Set into a neighborhood originally built in the 1950s, the timelessly designed house takes a rectilinear, geometric form, and is half buried into the incline of the sloping land facing out towards the lake. Its full-height glazing creates a loft-like floor plan, with double height living spaces that characterize the dwelling’s distinct aesthetic. “The clients requested a space that felt like the landscape, and maintained a feeling inside of being outside in the light and shadow play of the pines,” Faulkner continues.

The minimalist, contemporary pavilion-like home is constructed from the classic Modernist material palette of concrete, steel, wood, and glass; its open-plan layout meets the client’s wish to let the scenic blue lake, pine trees, and sky views stand out on their own. Perforated wood ceilings and acoustical plaster walls respond to the need to soften the sounds of the concrete and glass. “An underground garage is excavated under the house with level access to the street, a must in this snowy climate for the family’s eclectic car collection,” adds the firm. The team behind Faulkner Architects is known for their impressive residential projects that prioritize closeness with nature, modular forms using raw materials, and an interplay of light and dark. Their new print book Miner Road House is published by Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers; click here for more information.