Point House

Montana

Photo: Nic Lehoux

Photo: Nic Lehoux

Photo: Nic Lehoux

Photo: Dan Bibb, Photographer

Photo: Dan Bibb, Photographer

Photo: Nic Lehoux

Located on a large lake in rural Montana, this house is part of a year-round family compound that includes a large workshop and caretaker's quarters, a main residence, and a dock. The Point House is conceived as the hub of daytime activities at the site, as well as a quiet retreat.

Consisting of pristine pine forest, wetlands, and lakefront, the site called for a delicate intervention that would maintain the unspoiled natural qualities of the land, while allowing access and enjoyment in a rugged climate with seasonal extremes.

Sliding between cedars and pines on the secluded point, the house stretches from the peninsula's spine, a rock ledge, to a wetland of cattails. A long linear wall with a rusted, weathering steel skin slices through the site and organizes the various building elements. Boxes containing bathrooms and utilities, clad in heavy cedar planks, lie to the north. The living spaces to the south extend onto a wood deck running the length of the house. The edge separating inside from out is intentionally blurred with tall walls of glass and large operable panels.

Rigorous in detail and delicate in spirit, the Point House is a pavilion under the trees, a platform on the land, a place for family gatherings, and a quiet retreat for contemplation.