The Cube
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ARCHITECTURAL TEAM | Seth Striefel, John Sparano, Anne Mooney, Luis Salas, Payton Hutchison
CONTRACTOR | Martin Construction + Design
PHOTOGRAPHY | Matt Winquist
LANDSCAPE | VODA Landscape + Planning
STRUCTURAL | TBSE Inc.
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2025 | American Institute of Architecture Utah Design Merit Award
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MATERIALS | concrete, glass, white oak
SITE FEATURES | pool, hot tub, fire feature, barbeque
The Cube is a 2,000 square-foot, two-story addition to a midcentury modern home designed in the 1960s by renowned Salt Lake City architect, Jim Christopher, founding partner of Brixen & Christopher Architects. The existing two-story house is sited on a steep hillside above Salt Lake City. The front of the home opens to the west with a spectacular view that overlooks the city, while the upper level opens to the steep natural grade of the terrain at the back of the home.
The addition was conceived of architectural concrete in a simple massing to complement the form and materiality of the existing historic home. This new modest form included glazing elements that faced the new swimming pool towards the south. The architectural form is strategically pulled away from the existing home, providing a clear and distinct separation between the new monolithic concrete and the existing wood and stone volumes. The new and old architectural programs are linked with a simple and minimal glass hallway.
The project addition includes a new two-story volume with a lower level living/library space and upper level art studios for paint and textile mediums. The home’s exterior was upgraded with the design of a new swimming pool, hot tub, fire feature, outdoor shower and built-in barbeque. The steep hillside behind the house presented a challenge and opportunity for additional views: the project design includes a new patio that steps above the existing mass, providing new vantage points of the city beyond the home.
