Article source: Olson Kundig

Set in the Coast Mountains of western Canada, Whistler Ski House is a family retreat built to withstand the harsh mountain environment. Elevated ten feet above grade, the main level provides a sense of occupying the tree canopy while also floating above snowdrifts and flood prone lake shore.

Due to the nature of the deep soft soil on the lake shore and the home’s location in a high seismic risk zone, the house is supported on a continuous 2-foot thick raft slab on densified soil, created by a series of vibro-densified rock columns that extend 60 to 68 feet deep into the ground. The raft slab “floats” on the densified soil which allows the house to remain stationary during a seismic event that would cause un-densified soil to slide into the lake.

Image Courtesy © Benjamin Benschneider

• Architects: Olson Kundig
• Project: Whistler Ski House
• Location: Whistler, Canada
• Photography: Benjamin Benschneider
  
• Project Team: Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal; Steve Grim, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, Project Manager/Architect; Alivia Owens, LEED® AP, and Evan Harlan, Architectural Staff
• Key Consultants: Schuchart/Dow, General Contractor; W.T. Leung Architects, Inc., Associate Architect; CJ Anderson Civil Engineering, Inc., Civil Engineer; Fast+Epp, Structural Engineer; WSP Flack + Kurtz, Lighting, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer; Spearhead, Digital Design Assist; exp Services Inc., Geotechnical Engineer; Turner Exhibits, Gizmo Engineering and Fabrication
• Size: 6,000 square feet
• Completed: 2014

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