sage architecture redefines mountain living with the flight house

sage architecture redefines mountain living with the flight house
image © vance fox
all images courtesy of sage architecture

california-based sage architecture crafted a midcentury modern mountain home in the martis camp development of truckee, california, unlike any you are likely to find in this environment. named the ‘flight house’ for its metaphorical escape from city life but also due to its layered airfoil roofs that hover over the living spaces beneath. on one end of the home, the great room is set firmly on the ground with an exposed concrete slab-on-grade floor that contains radiant heating and serves as thermal mass collecting natural heat from the sunlight. the shape of the roof is carefully designed so as to shade the interior during the summer but it’s curving form opens more surface area in the winter time for natural light and welcomed heat gain. as the topography slopes to a lower elevation, the structure gradually rises under a skyward-sloping canopy until ending in a suspended glass box providing more of a tree house experience amidst the surrounding foliage.

image © vance fox

materials were carefully chosen for their life cycle costs and aesthetic qualities. the exterior is rendered in durable cedar planks that fit in with the natural hues of the landscape and corten panels as external elements of distinction on the home. the roof planes are supported by exposed glulam beams whose curves are emphasized in the interior, free of distraction as the internal spaces are left intentionally unadorned. in the elevated wing of the house, floors are made of sustainably harvested teak while walls and ceilings bring the exterior cedar to the inside. fixtures on the other hand are a deeper-toned walnut to contrast slightly from the other timber palettes. other partitions are painted stark white as backdrops for the client’s artwork.

image © vance fox