baile_studio

The advent of the California Gold Rush in the late 1800’s introduced pioneer passes up through the mineral rich Lake Tahoe basin. As transportation to and from the lake improved — the first car to survive the pass was in 1905 — intrepid adventurers and those seeking the respite of the great outdoors began to wind their way through the Sierra Nevada range and into the basin.

Today the Lake Tahoe region is almost an extension of the Bay Area. Highway’s, trains, airplanes, as well as technology, make the area more accessible than ever before. An increasingly tech-savvy, mobile workforce value the flexibility to work from anywhere, any time, and on any device… and that is no more evident than in the Bay Area. These people work in very intense environments, focusing on things that are often very abstract- technology, writing code, engineering; things in virtual space. Many of these people have a desire to go and be connected to a real place, a real landscape, and the recreational opportunities that accompany that.

With this new work/ life balance in mind, the Residences and Townhomes at Northstar challenge, or reinterpret, the concept of the traditional mountain chalet. Familiar materials- warm wood, glass, natural stone and exposed structure, are reorganized to provide a contemporary dwelling type that makes a strong connection to the surrounding environment, while paying homage to the Lake Tahoe vernacular.

The Residences are entered from above into an elevated world. One feels as if they are perched in the trees. The roof lifts up to reveal sweeping views of the Martis Valley and the Carson Range to the northeast. In the early evening hours the floor to ceiling glass walls frame sunlit views of the Sierra Nevada’s. Soft north light floods the social communal area and the Master Bedroom hangs out over the slopes.

The Residences offer respite from the working world with a specific emphasis on responsible, ethical development and the promotion of ecological, sustainable design.