Echo Mountain Retreat
ECHO MOUNTAIN RETREAT
Tomecek Studio Architecture
ARCHITECTS
Tomecek Studio Architecture
DESIGN TEAM
Tomecek Studio Architecture
LEAD TEAM
Brad Tomecek
PHOTOGRAPHS
Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
AREA
2800 ft²
YEAR
2023
LOCATION
Denver, United States
CATEGORY
Houses
English description provided by the architects.
This 2,800 SF mountain retreat was envisioned as a refuge from the busyness of daily city life.
The clients had acquired 20 acres of forested land near the peak of Echo Mountain, located approximately 45 minutes from Denver.
The owners shared their desire for a place free of screen time, focused on communing with nature and exploring the forest with their young family of four.
The site is intended to be a place of gathering, with destinations scattered across the property, some featuring subtle design interventions, while others are left untouched.
The main feature of the site, aside from the southern views, is a rock formation that starts as small outcroppings near the building site and ultimately develops into a hogback with a 150-foot sheer face elevation.
The design dialogue centers on shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of "forest bathing." Shinrin-yoku is the simple, therapeutic act of spending time in the forest, one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental well-being.
This is a sensory experience grounded in stillness, shifting your mindset away from the relentless pace of urban life.
Distributing programmatic "fragments" across the property helps encourage this connection.
Shinrin-yoku studies show that forest bathing enhances sleep quality, mood, focus, and stress resilience.
It helps alleviate chronic stress, a major contributor to conditions such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
It can also mitigate physiological issues, including high blood pressure, muscle tension, and weakened immune function.
