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The Mt. Baldy Mountain Retreat home model design was conceived and built in roughly eight weeks.

Mountain Retreat

The getaway home project was designed for a location midway up Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. The project model, ultimately constructed at a scale of 1"=1'-0", employs a wood-frame construction anchored to a concrete slab spanning a ravine in the property. The exterior face design consists of horizontal wooden slats on the building's southern face, while the tilted roof and northern face feature corrugated steel. The home consists of a single studio room with an attached full bathroom. The home also features a spacious, outdoor landscaped patio with a large, tone-setting fireplace as a visual anchor. It is accessed down the rugged site by a stone pathway that enters the patio on the southwest corner. There is also a small porch in the back of the house on the northeast side which can be accessed through the house. The living space within the structure is roughly 600 square feet.

Status: School Project
Location: Mt. Baldy, San Gabriel Mountains, California, USA

The project began as a small cardboard concept model constructed at 1/8"=1'-0".

The model was further developed into a working design using ArchiCAD BIM technology.

This mid-construction image depicts the wooden frame and plywood sheathing.

This image shows the insulation and wooden frame construction in the interior.

Image show the main entry to the house off the front porch.

Shown is the prominent exterior fireplace and the southeast front face of the building, which features the wooden slat exterior.

A small patio feature is accessible through the house on the northeast side.

The fully-functional exterior fireplace is the highlight of the home design project. It acts as a mood-setting feature, and it is flanked by an intimate, landscaped area partially enclosed against the elements by concrete retaining walls. The views south of the patio are preserved while the rear of the patio features a picture window cut in the concrete. This features a view up the mountain to the north of the property.