Ideas rose in clouds; I felt them collide until pairs interlocked, so to speak, making a stable combination.

- Henri Poincare

Site
The Cloud House is a planned weekend retreat, which is situated on a promontory high along a ridge of the Colorado Plateau. The site offers panoramic views from numerous vantage points. The house is nestled in a grove of dramatic Aspen trees.

Concept
The design is a study in openness, transparency, lightness, and reflections. The house approaches near invisibility at certain times of the year. The floor plan is an abstract interpretation of a cumulus cloud shape transformed into a series of five rotated and elliptically shaped glass pods. The combined spaces have a softly nuanced suppleness based on the way the forms are hinged together. Each pod is an individual room having a distinct programmatic function. Room openings were created at the interstitial space where the pods meet. Interior doors have been reduced to a minimum. The overall design is a loose free-form assemblage which is informed by its unique relationship to the site, and offers an incomparable meeting place of earth and sky.

Programmatically the house contains an entry pod, kitchen/dining areas, bedroom/storage/bathroom, living area, and a study/bar/powder room. The spaces have a porous and smooth flow between one another which affords exceptional opportunities for living and entertaining.

Total Area: 2200 sq. ft., 600 sq. ft. exterior deck
Major Materials: Steel structure, curved architectural glass, anodized aluminum, epoxy flooring, and wood decking.

Design Team:
John Beckmann, with Jacob George
Renderings: Jacob George
Diagrams and model: Jacob George and Jessica Marvin

Axis Mundi is an interdisciplinary firm based in New York.

www.axismundi.com

©2012 Axis Mundi Design LLC