Summit is a community of entrepreneurs and technologists renowned for global events, bringing together creative, business, and scientific minds to explore innovative solutions to current and future global challenges. After purchasing Powder Mountain in Utah, Summit invited us to develop a concept for a new eco-resort and events venue—a place to stimulate, energize, and revitalize the human spirit.

Powder Mountain is the largest ski resort in the U.S. by skiable area, but it was virtually undeveloped due to the locals’ efforts to protect the integrity of the land. It was important that any new architecture recede into the landscape, while offering a grand gesture in response to the sheer scale of the setting.

Our design locates the ski resort at the top of the mountain, an area previously cut and flattened for carparking. By terraforming the roof, we proposed to restore the cut and to maximize the 360-degree views over six U.S. states. Using local materials on the exterior, the architectural concept is one of habitable land art—a building as a giant sundial, a cosmic viewing platform that brings people closer to nature, space, and existence.

In the middle of the circular plan, a courtyard forms a protected ecosystem—a native forest that acts as a recreational space and a viewing observatory of sun, sky, and mountains. Like a James Turrell artwork, the view takes on a surreal perspective. Filled with unexpected surprises to delightfully challenge perception, Six Senses is intended as a mystical temple for the elevation and exploration of the natural environment.