The Divide

PROJECT HIGHLIGHT

SUMMARY

The site is steep, the elevation nearly 9,000 feet, and the Continental Divide fills the horizon to the east. At The Divide, every design decision flows from those three facts. The buildings are set into the slope rather than placed on it, their massing and orientation determined by the terrain beneath them and the prospect beyond. Sixteen units across three buildings face east across the Winter Park valley, the Divide visible year-round from every level, a constant and extraordinary presence that defined the design ambition from the outset.

The rooflines are the most direct expression of that ambition. Asymmetrical single pitch planes sweep in strong diagonal gestures, their geometry drawn from the mountain peaks visible on the horizon and their rhythm cascading down the slope in a sequence that feels both inevitable and considered. The repetition of that roofline across the length of each building creates a powerful visual composition that reads comfortably against the treeline and the mountain sky, neither competing with the landscape nor disappearing into it.

The material palette was assembled to feel as though it came from the site itself. Horizontal cedar shiplap in warm semi-transparent stain wraps the primary volumes with natural warmth, while prefinished vertical cedar in near black by Nakamoto Forestry introduces depth and contrast at the secondary surfaces. Rusted 22 gauge corrugated metal panel anchors the lower volumes and accent elements, its oxidized tone echoing the iron-rich rock and terrain of the mountain setting. Rough sawn cedar timbers finished in cordovan brown mark the entry canopies with warmth and craft, dark stained wood fascia and balcony details thread precision through the composition, and Anderson dark bronze windows frame the views with a refinement that honors the prospect they are designed to capture.

The Divide is architecture that earns its place on a demanding and beautiful site, a design that responds to every condition the mountain imposed and delivers a residential experience equal to the landscape it inhabits.