Part of a five-chalet development introduced in Project 18, this was the first chalet to be designed, and it became the basis for design development for the other four chalets. One of the first challenges was how to fit parking and turning space for cars onto the site. The regulations mandated one car parking space per 100m of habitable space with half to be under cover. For this chalet that meant a minimum of three car spaces and two covered spaces. On request of the client, I explored access from above using a steep track but discounted this due to potential right of way issues and environmental constraints. Access from the road below the site was the only practical option for car access but it came with its own set of difficulties – between the site and the road was a bank of land 1m higher than the road and the slope of the site itself was steeper than the 15% maximum slope allowed for driveways. Difficult regulations force creative thinking, and I found a practical solution that fitted with the regulations. Once orientation and parking were established as design principles, I set about designing the parameters for the design of the mass and volume of the chalet. I devised a method for this which I named ‘sliding boxes’ – the principle being that box spaces could be stacked and stepped up the slope to create second or half levels, and split roof levels. The space underneath the habitable ‘sliding boxes’ created spacious garages for three or four cars plus turning space inside. This basic principle of levels and habitable spaces was used for all five buildings, although each design is unique. This plot is north facing, and the south façade faces into the mountain which is steep and forested thus the north façade was the principal elevation for large areas of glazing to maximise light and views. The construction method for this chalet was a mix of solid timber posts and frames, using generous 250mm x 250mm solid spruce wood posts and beams. The beams are exposed on the outside with horizontal planks slotted in-between which is regional vernacular rather than local. The structure below the timber was concrete with exposed faces to be covered in stone. *