Catamount Cluster Housing
We designed this dormitory for the Catamount Center, a non-profit ecological research institute. Given the institute’s mission, the project demanded an advanced approach to site integration and energy management. Among other innovations, its in-slab radiant heat system is powered by a wood burning furnace—the first time that the technology has been used in a building more complex than a single family home. At the same time, the client requested a high profile design that would help to promote the institute’s progressive agenda nationally and internationally. Given these ambitions, plus the project’s very limited budget, we chose to use common materials and building systems in uncommon ways. We emphasized how the building’s form relates to its site, educational uses, and energy technology.
The building’s spiral organization integrates its sloped site and unit based program. It is built on a slightly inclined, east facing site with sweeping views of Pikes Peak to the south. Its massing conforms to the site, with flat segments of the building oriented parallel to the site’s contours and sloped segments running up them. Sloped buildings usually require a lot of interior stairs or ramps, but in this case, circulation is exterior and the building is divided into dorm rooms that step up the hillside. Windows and doors are located in the southeast and southwest facades for natural light and expansive views. Rooms in the upper part of the spiral look out over lower ones. A concrete apron wraps portions of building’s perimeter and its interior courtyard is lined with native grasses. The courtyard is used as an outdoor classroom, sheltered from the area’s considerable winds.
