B.C. house uses Corten steel shell to ward off the elements

The specified slider does not exist.

Perched high above the Okanagan valley in Namarata, B.C., nestled within the rugged mountain terrain, sits a house adorned in Corten steel panels, evoking the visual of a seafaring vessel bound to the land.

The house gets its name, Mountain Beetle, from a tough, parasitic beetle found in British Columbia. Designed by Omar Gandhi Architects, the house was crafted with the intention of braving and responding to the surrounding milieu. The design takes into account the dangers high-altitude locations confront year-round, such as the threat of fires, searing heat, unrelenting winds, and heavy snowfall.

Generous overhangs extend a protective cover against the elements. The base of the structure intentionally omits any glass openings, serving as a bulwark against the intrusion of low-lying fires. Ascending a set of perforated steel, one arrives at the entrance via a perforated landing. A central skylight and light tunnel bring in additional daylight into the heart of the residence.

The truncated, arrow-like layout is elevated and harmoniously integrated into the pre-existing rocky setting, with an uninterrupted 270-degree panoramic view from the primary living areas onto the Okanagan valley and the flanking mountain ranges.