Echo Mountain Retreat, 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.
© Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
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.
© Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
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.
© Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
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.
© Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
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.
Project Info
Architects: Tomecek Studio Architecture
Country: United States, Denver
Area: 2800 ft²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Parrish Ruiz de Velasco
Lead Team: Brad Tomecek
Design Team: Tomecek Studio Architecture
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial