More Projects

close

Milepost 45.6

  • PROJECT ROLES
  • Tom Kundig, Design Principal
  • LOCATION & YEAR
  • near Valdez, AK, 2008

Project Details

Milepost 45.6 is a heli-ski roadhouse in a remote mountainous region of Alaska. The heads of the structure are oriented toward prominent local peaks where inhabitants will be skiing. The building houses six bunk rooms, two owner bedrooms, a skier’s lounge, and support areas, including a ski tuning area and a small kitchen. Each room or area has its own view of the mountains. Fourteen-foot stilts, which reference the traditional trapper’s cache, raise the building above the level of snow, floods, moose and bears.

The site must provide all energy for the building—either from the stream, the sun, the wind or an on-site generator. Because of the difficulty of building on such a remote location, as well as the quirks of construction culture in Alaska, the building will be prefabricated—shipped by barge and then on truck—and assembled on location.