Hidlay Architecture

From the ground up, the house is shaped around the site and the horizon.

A sequence of spaces follows the steep grade and keeps the long views in focus. The rendering establishes the roofline, stone volumes, glazing, and hillside relationship.

Southwest architectural rendering of the Modern Mountain House on its hillside site — Southwest architectural rendering

Site and frame

The first stages make the house legible against the land.

Foundation walls, steel, roof work, the interior deck, and the tall central volume establish the house against the long valley view.

Foundation walls and slab of the Modern Mountain House opening toward the Pennsylvania valley — Foundation walls open toward the valley / August 2022

Steel frame of the Modern Mountain House extending across the open hillside — The steel frame establishes the long horizontal profile

Blue roof membrane across the Modern Mountain House with the valley beyond — Roof membrane follows the intersecting planes

Steel frame and open interior deck of the Modern Mountain House facing the valley — Steel deck and frame align the rooms with the view

Lift within the tall framed central volume of the Modern Mountain House — The double-height volume takes shape around the lift

Connections and assemblies

Connections, assemblies, and services remain part of the architecture.

Steel bracing, a mechanical distribution manifold, roof battens, and layered ceiling framing record how the house was put together.

Diagonal steel bracing and beam connections at the Modern Mountain House — Diagonal bracing locks the steel frame together

Mechanical piping manifold with a row of isolation valves being assembled at the Modern Mountain House — Mechanical distribution is organized through a valve manifold

Roof battens crossing the intersecting roof planes of the Modern Mountain House — Battens register each roof plane before the finish layer

Layered ceiling framing at an intersecting roof valley inside the Modern Mountain House — Layered framing resolves the roof intersection

Enclosure and material

The frame is gradually tuned to light, stone, and the horizon.

Gable framing, the glazed shell, and coursed stone turn the structural outline into a weather-tight house.

Interior gable framing of the Modern Mountain House silhouetted against the evening valley — Gable framing draws the horizon into the room

Glazed structural shell of the Modern Mountain House illuminated at blue hour — The emerging shell is illuminated at blue hour

Coursed stone veneer under construction at the Modern Mountain House — Coursed stone advances across the exterior wall

Stone, glazing, and rooflines of the Modern Mountain House at blue hour during construction — Stone, glazing, and rooflines settle into place

Rooms and views

Later views show the material palette carrying through the completed rooms.

These walkthrough photographs pair deep stone openings, dark millwork, and broad glazing with the landscape beyond.

Deep stone window opening at the Modern Mountain House framing the Pennsylvania valley — A deep stone opening frames the valley

Stone partition and dark kitchen cabinetry inside the Modern Mountain House — Stone and dark millwork continue through the kitchen

Dining room of the Modern Mountain House opening to a panoramic mountain view — The dining room opens to the mountain horizon