GRAPHĒ: This Minimalist Black Ski Cabin in Tahoe Feels as Fresh as a Powder Day

A family’s cluster of shed-roofed structures on a small lot bucks the conventions of the traditional mountain retreat.

Snow guards create seasonal insulation, and stormwater runoff is directed to infiltration systems to protect Lake Tahoe.

David Tang and Edith Tom, both software engineers, had an interesting take on their cross-continental move. Back when they lived in Sydney, Australia, they would routinely travel five hours to visit the Snowy Mountains, reveling in its rugged outdoor beauty. When their company offered to relocate them to San Francisco in September 2017 to assist with a new project, they said yes. The way they saw it, the California city is only three hours from the Sierras.

Minimal hardscaping was done to keep natural ground conditions as is, and fallen trees were left to decompose. The home was built on the slope of the lot to minimize how much land was moved. — After moving from Sydney to San Francisco, David Tang and Edith Tom built a family ski cabin in South Lake Tahoe designed to fit within its site instead of dominate it.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

In the spring of 2020, after years of visiting South Lake Tahoe whenever they could, David and Edith purchased a plot where the edge of the town meets the base of the mountains at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Ready to build a vacation home that made their trips from San Francisco even more worthwhile, the couple got in touch with Mork-Ulnes Architects.

"There were big Jeffrey pine trees, lots of boulders and logs, and a gentle slope," remembers project lead, architect Colin Griffin. "When we got started, they were clear about wanting to celebrate the site."

Sliders on either side of the living room aid in cross-ventilation. The ladder leads to a small office space. — The home comprises four shed-roofed structures connected at their corners, with the living area at the center. When open, sliders on either side create cross-ventilation. The ladder leads to a mezzanine office space.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

David and Edith hired Mork-Ulnes knowing that the firm is split between San Francisco and Oslo, Norway, and exemplifies the mindsets of these locales. The group envisioned a home that has a Scandinavia-meets-California appreciation for the outdoors, one that didn’t sprawl across the mountainside but rather existed within it. After so many years of treasuring the Tahoe landscape at a distance, in a way, David and Edith asked for a property that would envelope them within it.