Summit Powder Mountain 'innovation community' takes shape on Utah ski slopes

Construction is underway for a mountaintop retreat in Utah focused on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Summit Powder Mountain, near Eden, is a ski village planned by architects and environmental designers Studio Ma to include residences and leisure communities that will host a year-round community of creative professionals and social entrepreneurs.

The project is taking shape on a 10,000-acre public site surrounded by ski slopes. The centrepiece of the village will be the Summit Institute, a nonprofit centre hosting innovation conferences and communal co-working and dining spaces. It will double as a concert venue, and an après-ski and event venue.

There will be two main residential districts and a main street offering eateries, juice bars, shops, public art, hotels and affordable housing for artists. A Six Senses resort designed by Chad Oppenheim is also planned for tourists visiting in ski season.

Developers expect the town to be completed and occupied by 2022, with construction progressing over two decades.

Studio Ma is working alongside Norwegian studio JVA Architects, Skylab Architecture, Saunders Architecture and Canadian designer Brian MacKay-Lyons.

Sam Arthur, the design director of Summit, the group developing the scheme, has previously told CLADglobal that the group is “subverting” resort culture by building a new type of community which will mix food, entertainment, music, yoga and skiing.

“This is a blank slate to work with and we have a 100-year vision to create a town which is enduring and meaningful,” he said. “People very much believe in the community of Summit – investing in continuing and empowering that community was the logical next step.”

A crowdsourcing campaign has been launched, with members of the Summit community able to pay between $1m (€833,000, £739,000) and $2m (€1.6m, £1.5m) for a one to two-acre plot in the village.

“The Summit founders felt like the community would benefit from having a place to invest in long-term, to build its culture,” said Arthur. “This project could have been in New York, on an island, or in a lot of different places. It just so happened that here in northern Utah the founders found a raw, beautiful, up-and-coming area.

“It’s a place to lean in closer, like gathering around a campfire. It will be an incubator for ideas and friendships and will catalyse goodness in the world.”

Speaking about the group’s design philosophy, he added: “The architecture will recede into the landscape, to be part of the bigger whole and the interiors will be vehicles to allow a great experience, to enjoy the view and the sunset. They won’t be too opulent.

“The materials will be humble and earnest, and they will be unpretentious, ergonomic and functional. Our goal is to create new mountain architecture which will be subservient to the natural landscape.”

Summit Powder Mountain  Utah  Eden  design  architecture  JVA Architects  Skylab Architecture  Saunders Architecture  Brian MacKay-Lyons  Sam Arthur 
Related stories
11 Apr 2016

EXCLUSIVE: Crowdfunded resort takes shape on Utah's Powder Mountain

More news
News stories: 1 - 30 of 8028     
 
 
 
News stories: 1 - 30 of 8028     
 
 
 
company profile
Company profile: Total Vibration Solutions Ltd (TVS Group)
TVS Group includes TVS Sports Surfaces, TVS Gym Flooring, TVS Play Surfaces and TVS Acoustics. Our business is balanced through a broad portfolio of solutions and a presence across multiple industries.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
The space was conceived as a new type of place for ‘being with art’
The centre is dedicated to the representation of the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations
"In Indigenous culture, it’s more important to understand where you come from than what you do for a living"

The Vancouver Art Gallery architect tells us about his mission to bring together Western knowledge and Indigenous ways of knowing

cladkit product news
Lucas Zito aims to show 3D printed lamps can be timeless design objects
Lucas Zito’s practice specialises in the design of lights through 3D printing
Magali Robathan
A collection of lighting from Paris-based designer Lucas Zito aims to reframe the idea of 3D printed objects as cheap ...
Heatherwick Studio and lighting brand Tala collaborate to create sleep light called Wake
Wake is crafted from hand-spun ceramic and pressed glass, behind which a gentle light emanates to improve sleep routines and wellbeing
Helen Andrews
Design firm Heatherwick Studio and British lighting brand Tala have teamed up to create a sleep light called Wake. The ...
Snow’s holistic cool-down: Embracing inclusivity in post-sauna rituals
Megan Whitby
In the world of wellness, the age-old tradition of sauna bathing is synonymous with relaxation, detoxification and rejuvenation. But, a ...
cladkit product news
TouchWood Play designs new kids’ club for Dubai’s Zuhha Island
The new club aims to connect children with nature
Magali Robathan
Bespoke play environment design and manufacturer TouchWood Play has announced that it is responsible for the creation of a new Kids’ ...
Effe introduces sauna and hammam collection Baluar by Patricia Urquiola
The system uses heat-treated lime wood cladding, available in either a dark or light tone
Helen Andrews
Sauna specialist Effe (formerly Effegibi) has introduced its new sauna and hammam collection, Baluar, designed by architect and designer Patricia ...
New Balera collection embeds lighting in 
tiled feature walls
Studiotamat has teamed up with Ariana de Luca to create the Balera range
Magali Robathan
The new Balera Collection sees design studio Studiotamat team up with ceramic artist Arianna De Luca and lighting designer Ninefifty ...
cladkit product news
Porada launch retro-inspired coffee table
Porada's new Enook Brillo coffee table
Magali Robathan
Maurizio Marconato and Terry Zappa have created the Enook Brillo coffee table for Italian design studio Porada – a retro-inspired design ...
LivinGlobe introduces redesigned adaptable Vidarium
LivinGlobe can install ultra short throw projections or premium LED panels, as well as the surround sound system and video server
Helen Andrews
Founded more than 10 years ago, LivinGlobe was one of the first companies in the immersive wellness space with its ...
OpenSeed launches private multisensory Iris Meditation Pod
The Iris Pod features vibro-acoustic technology, aromatherapy, light therapy, music, guided meditations and soundscapes
Helen Andrews
OpenSeed has launched its multisensory Iris Meditation Pod, designed in collaboration with Fuseproject – a design and innovation company founded ...
x
Sign up with CLAD for regular news updates