This house was designed as a second home for a client based in Miami and is set within the Starwood community that was originally developed in the 1960s to include residential properties, cross-country skiing, recreation zones, and equestrian trails. Starwood is situated at approximately 8,400 feet in elevation along a mesa above Aspen, Colorado, and has spectacular views of all four mountains that comprise the Aspen Snowmass ski resort as well as four 14,000-foot mountain peaks beyond.

The design of the new house involved removing the upper floor of an existing home and setting a new structure on top of the original lower level and foundations. The lower level was redesigned to incorporate guest bedrooms and bathrooms as well as a media entertainment room and various service spaces and, taking advantage of the steeply sloping site, provides expansive views across a new terrace at grade level.

The new upper floor structure provides open spaces for the living, dining, and cooking areas as well as the new primary bedroom suite. This level connects with the main entry and new garage on the uphill side of the property, engaging with an existing aspen grove that provides privacy from the street.

The primary design concept incorporates a series of rooms on the upper level that can be opened up to one another with large, pocketing doors along a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. With the doors in the open position, this uninterupted, 85-foot long expanse of glass captures spectular views and provides uninterrupted movement across the entire floor. At the rear of this space and against the enveloping hillside, stairways provide paths for navigating the various floor levels and incorporate skylights above to distribute natural light throughout the vertically stacked structure.