Park City Home Seamlessly Blends Old and New
It's a dream come true: owning a beautiful vacation home that has direct access to the Park City Mountain Resort in northwest Utah. The Park City architects at Sparano + Mooney Architecture recently had the opportunity to make that dream a reality for a professional couple and their children. They hired us to design a modern vacation home that fits well in the mountain context, provided a comfortable and inspiring living environment, and met their goals of sustainability and environmental friendly architecture.
The design we came up with exceeded the expectations of everyone involved. From city planners in Park City to neighbors to the owners themselves, everyone our team had the opportunity to work with has contributed to the extraordinary result. Our client now has a beautifully crafted and highly functional vacation home where they can spend time in relaxing and enjoying all that Park City has to offer.
Keeping in Tune with the Past
Property in Park City is somewhat unique, especially in the historic area of Old Town where our client’s purchased. Lots are compact and narrow, which was typical of the mining era, and many of them sit on steep slopes that can boast grades as steep as 40%. That said, the size and layout of the lot were just the beginning of the overall challenge our team faced. We also had to design a structure that was in keeping with the atmosphere of Park City’s Old Town.
Old Town has very strict architectural requirements when it comes to preserving the area's historical atmosphere. We were limited in our design, from everything from total structural height to the exterior materials we would use on the home. But our team of Park City architects worked with the Planning Commission to come up with an innovative design that satisfied everyone.
The resulting home does not duplicate the past in every detail. Rather, it is an ultra-modern structure that references and complements the past in a way that seamlessly blends both the contemporary and traditional. The house sits very naturally in the surrounding environment while still being modern. We believe it is one of the newest, yet most beautiful, contributing structures in Park City.
Meeting the Demands of the Future
A primary goal of our clients was to build their vacation home to be not only aesthetically pleasing and comfortable but also one that was focused on sustainability and limited the environmental impact. These are things that are important to Sparano + Mooney Architecture as well, so this project was perfect for our residential team. We accepted the challenge of designing this house with a focus on sustainability that would meet or exceed the requirements for LEED certification.
We think we achieved what we set out to create: a beautiful Park City home that will be as good for the local environment as it is for the family that owns it. Our clients will enjoy years of comfortable relaxation in the beautiful mountain environment knowing that their home has a minimal environmental impact.
At the end of the day, the Park City vacation home is testament to the fact that we can design residential structures that incorporate the old with the new in a way that seamlessly blends the best of the past with the brightest aspects of the future. Past, present and future do not have to conflict – whether in aesthetic features or structural integrity. All three can be combined for a truly exceptionally finished product.
We wish our clients well in their new vacation home in Park City. We thoroughly enjoyed working on this property, knowing how much they would enjoy their time spent in such a lovely area.