Maison Glissade (Ski Chalet)

Set on a narrow lot in a private ski club development in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, this house is concieved as a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional chalet. Its form retains the convention of a gable roof, yet is reduced to an elegant two storey volume in which the top floor slides forward, engaging an adjacent ski hill on axis with the chalet. The cantilever of the upper volume embodies a kinetic energy likened to that of a leading ski or a skier propelled in a forward trajectory. The lower level counter balances this movement with a rhythmic pattern of solid and void. Architect: AKB - Atelier Kastelic Buffey. Photography: Peter A. Sellar / www.photoklik.com