DESIGN SPACE

House

contrasts
unites
nature
of

with

Every room features a view of the Teton Mountains. This photo

also shows the contrast between the glass, steel, concrete and
wood used throughout the house.

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June 2008

Residential DESIGN & BUILD rdbmagazine.com

Design blends a variety of building

materials that welcome in the sun,
wind and the unbelievable view
By Rob Heselbarth, editor

Each year, thousands of tourists take thousands of pictures of the Teton Mountains
in Wyoming. The Tetons arguably the
most photographed mountain range in the
country, if not the world make it easy for
even the worst of photographers to take
stunning pictures that capture their abundant beauty. For one family that lives just
outside Grand Teton National Park, these
picturesque mountains are within sight
from every room in its home, thanks to an
architects careful planning.

STEPHEN DYNIA ARCHITECTS

Jackson, Wyo.
dynia.com

COMPANY STATS
Industry memberships: AIA, NCARB
Annual number of projects: 15
Residential new construction: 65 percent

he magic of the Teton range is its lack of foothills,

which provides a breathtaking contrast where the
flat, horizontal valley to the east meets the jagged
profile of the nations youngest mountains. It is this horizontal line created where the valley meets the mountains
that provides inspiration for the custom home on the south
end of the park that sits 500 ft. above the valley floor.

Bedroom

Storage

Bedroom

Exercise
Sitting
Bookroom

Playroom

Lower floor plan

Kitchen
Office
Master

Photo: Paul Warchol

Living

Dining

Family

Bath
Library

Main floor plan

rdbmagazine.com Residential DESIGN & BUILD

June 2008

15

How Does the

Geberit System
Allow Unique Design?

Photo: Roger Wade

earth it is built
on. It doesnt
pander to style;
it is the result of
all these considerations.
The
gently
curving roofline
matches that of
the hillside on
which the home
sits. Dynia made
sure the home
does not dominate its site or the
national parks
environment,
both of which
lack many buildings, he says. The
roof peaks with
powered clerestory windows along
the entire length
of the house to
provide
both
The domination by horizontal lines extends outside as seen in the
natural light and
siding, the roof line, the steps and even the landscaping.
ventilation. The
Horizontal lines are seen in pracwall opposite the clerestory consists
tically every element of the home:
of a row of sliding glass panels where
the kitchen cabinet hardware; where
air enters the home.
concrete meets concrete; along the
Air enters the low side of the house,
ceilings wood slats; in the railings; in
rises and escapes out the clerestory
the book shelves; the wood beams; the
windows for natural ventilation. No
steps leading down to the back yard;
mechanized cooling system exists,
the roofline; the long, narrow nature
but both forced-air and hydronic
of the home itself; and in many other
radiant heating systems keep the
places.
home warm. This house is green to
The house has a gravity and
its core. It is sited to take advantage
weight to it that is characteristic of
of the sun as well as natural ventilawhat might be considered traditional
tion patterns, and all the concrete
buildings in this region, says Stephen
throughout the house holds in the
Dynia, AIA, president, Stephen Dynia
days heat and releases it during the
Architects in Jackson, Wyo. But it
evening, he says. The thermal propis also a house that responds to the
erties of the concrete warmed up
site and its environmental conditions
as the sunlight penetrates the large
as well as the owners needs, in an
number of windows offset the use
expression that is current with the
of so much glass in a cold climate.

The Geberit Concealed Tank

and Carrier System allows
unique design by taking the
toilet off the floor. The
Systems flexibility and
adaptability allows free reign
within individual space. Once
the system is installed, the only
visible element is the stylish
actuator flush panel.
With millions of installations
throughout the world, the
Geberit Concealed Tank
and Carrier System enables
unique design and utilizes
water-saving, dual-flush
technology.

www.geberit.us
866/787-3924
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June 2008

17

DESIGN SPACE

Photo: Paul Warchol

Concrete, wood,
steel and glass

Photo: Roger Wade

The gentle curve of the roof mirrors that of the hillside on

which the main and guest homes sit.

The large amount of concrete stores the suns energy during

the day and releases it at night to warm the house.

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June 2008

Residential DESIGN & BUILD rdbmagazine.com

A system of concrete piers supports

the weight of the house. The piers are
combined with eight trusses spaced
16 ft. apart which allows the homes
skin to hang separately from the main
structure. This permits the placement
of glass anywhere in the home without worrying about structural support,
Dynia says.
The tension rods throughout the
home express tension, whereas the
heavier elements such as concrete
express compression, creating a balance between pull and push. And the
wood slats on the ceiling in the public
space serve an acoustical function to
counteract the sound qualities of a
large concrete room, he points out.
Everything you see revealed structurally is part of the buildings system;
it serves a purpose. The house is made
of seven cells lined up like bread slices.
And the rooms are lined up so each
gets a view of the mountain range.
There is no room without that mountain view, he explains.
A long gallery extends the entire
length of the house. Half the home is
private and the other is public, with
childrens spaces downstairs. This
is a house you slide into from one
end. The driveway is aligned with the
peak of Grand Teton Mountain so as
you descend down the driveway while
approaching the home the mountain is
framed by the two houses on the property, Dynia says, referring to the main
home and the 800-sq.-ft. guest house.

Nice complement

The success of the Teton home is

partly attributed to Dynias flexibility
when design doesnt quite work out

Photo: Paul Warchol

I really like the look of contemporary homes but I dont

know if I could live in them. However, I understand where
the architect is coming from, and I dont judge the design.
I just try to get in the architects head and understand it so
I can build it right.

The use of different materials such as wood,

concrete, glass and steel creates contrasts within
the house, yet, as a whole, the home unites with
nature in many effective ways.

as planned, says Kurt Wimberg, owner, Kurt

Wimberg Construction, also in Jackson, who
built the home. Working with Steve was fantastic because he was concerned about the concept
but not concerned about micro details. When
we had problems where design did not exactly
meet reality, he was willing to work with us to
solve them. Thats ideal because Ive worked
with other architects where they wouldnt budge,
and that was not good, Wimberg says.
The other part of that is I dont try to make
things too simple, meaning, I dont always
search for the easiest way to do something.
There are other contractors out there that meet
a challenge with only solution A. I always provide solutions A through D when possible,
Wimberg continues. Im aware of the architects design goals. Ill do what I can to help him
get there. Were on the same team.
The homes design calls for plenty of steel,
which caused some of the problems Wimberg
refers to. Like with the steel trim, Steve would
say, Im fine with using another piece of steel
covering this part, or changing how this roller
door will roll along this part, or changing the
shape of this piece of metal. He was great to
work with.
Working closely with architects to solve design
and construction problems keeps Wimberg
interested in his career, he says. Thats whats
fun, and its fun when you have a team that
can work together. Its not fun when youre
not a team and youre in constant stress that
design details wont work exactly as planned.
Its rewarding when you can walk away from a
project and know you made it work.
Wimberg enjoys building contemporary
homes because theyre challenging, he says.

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