A new dormitory provides housing for students and researchers at the Catamount Center, a field station and ecological research institute. The building’s spiral organization integrates its sloped site and unit based program: a strip of rooms that winds around the hillside and on top of itself. The rooms have expansive views of Pikes Peak to the south—those in the upper part of the spiral look out over lower ones. A concrete apron wraps portions of building’s perimeter and courtyard, which is lined with native grasses. The courtyard is used as an outdoor classroom, sheltered from the area’s considerable winds.

Photos by James Florio.