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Avenue Magazine Article For fusion to work -- be it architectural, culinary, or musical -- seemingly disparate elements must meld together, resulting in a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Calgary architectural designer Cheryl Link does not bill herself a fusion architect; however, she has successfully blended aspects of Japanese architecture with the 1,500-year-old tradition of timber framing to create a striking new style of architecture. Mountain timber frame meets Japanese simplicity and grace to create a look Link has coined "mountain modern." Link has always loved Japanese principles of relating. After completing a commerce degree and then a Pacific-Asian studies program in 1983, she made a formative visit to Japan where she had a "lightbulb moment," suddenly deciding to become an architect. "The Japanese are very good at transition spaces and bringing nature into their space," she says. The result is that the bridge between inside and outside becomes fluid. Her timber frame predilection stems from Link's desire "to bring 'architecture' to this old form of building." A modernist at heart, she sought a modern expression for the traditional technique. Enter NHL star Scott Niedermayer, his wife, Lisa, and their small son, who provided a perfect opportunity for the designer to materialize her ideas. The family's lake property in the Kootenays boasted a designer's veritable wish list of unbelievable site elements: breathtaking views of the lake, a private bay, private beach, rocky knoll, grassy meadow, and gurgling stream. Link already had nine years of experience honing her architectural styleÑon projects ranging from the striking Bear Paw Lodges recreational property development in Fernie to a 20,000 square-foot horse stable located on a private island. Because the Niedermayers came to the table with no preconceived notions about how they wanted their summer residence to look, they were open to a more modern concept. Link sought to create something that departed from the "mountain suburban" look of many vacation homes. Link finds something "soulful" in old timber, a primal connection back to nature. The timber for the Niedermayer home was sourced from B.C.'s first-ever mill and from an old grain elevator in Alberta. Says Link, "Timber frame homes last 500 years. They're heirloom quality so you see people passing them along in their families." However, Link advises people to start sourcing timber now if they're interested in building one: "People were practically giving it away when I started four years ago. Now you have to generally deal with a broker and it's really hard to get good, strong-grained stock." With the romance of organic materials interpreted through a mountain modern esthetic, Link created a property that blends form and function into one. Built into the steep terrain, the 3,000 square-foot house looks like an extension of the natural rock outcroppings, striving for a symbiotic relationship between man and nature. So the structure wouldn't appear too tall and overpowering, Link broke the house's roof line into varying heights. The rooflines of the three "pods" or sections lower as they near the water, causing the house to hug the site. Link likes to compare it to "an eagle coming down to land." Since
the structure is completely supported by a timber frame, Link was able
to include a stunning glass "curtain wall." "I didn't have
to rely on the corner walls for support, so I could do whole walls and
corners in glass," Link says. The floor-to-ceiling glass wall brings
the view of the lake right into the living room, thereby blurring the
barrier between the outside and inside. A formidable industrial-grade
glass wall like this is only possible when old timber is used, as new
timber tends to twist and shrink, and eventually shatter the window glass. The extensive use of glass continues outside with a large glass awning hung by cables over the patio doors. Forming a courtyard area, the awning allows the Niedermayers to sit, protected, while watching the great storms roll across Kootenay Lake. The eight-foot hand-made French doors swing fully open, allowing the dining table to be brought outside onto the curving front terraceÑagain echoing the union of indoor and outdoor areas, with the seamless continuation of slate flooring from the living room. And because the house had to be child friendly, a railing was installed on the terrace, though Link chose to again use glass to take advantage of every inch of the view. Just inside the curtain wall of glass, the massive great room hosts most family gatherings. It boasts a cathedral ceiling that feels intimate, not grand, thanks to the warmth of the exposed timber frame rafters. In an idiosyncratic touch, the massive fireplace's top is angled with the roof line to keep it from overpowering the room. Paying homage to the Japanese penchant for natural materials, Link constructed the fireplace out of granite that came from the property; crews blasting the site were instructed to salvage all the granite they could. "There's still moss from the yard growing on the lower mantel," says Link. Much of the stone siding was also salvaged from the site "just to make the integration into the landscape more real," says Link. Conscious
that a timber frame house can feel cold and unfriendly with so many exposed
linear lines, Link introduced curves on several of the interior beams
to keep the space from looking too rigid and geometric. "A curve
will soften the edges of modernity and just sweep you into a space,"
she says of this decidedly feminine touch. In keeping with her inclination
toward the unpredictable, she threw in several little portal windowsÑto
keep the lake home from looking "too urban," she jokes. The
nautical effect relates back to not only the lake, but to an earlier project
on the property: the family's timber-frame boathouse. |
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