The Stone Shelters at Maple Grove Hot Springs were the first new structures built as part of a long-term vision: slow, sustainable, thoughtful and minimal development across the resort.

Built to replace the original canvas yurts, the shelters were envisioned as permanent dwellings - crafted to endure for generations...completely off-grid and powered, like the rest of the property and its compound of structures, by a small solar array and a natural geothermal spring.

The project was a collaborative effort between a number of building and design teams. Solstice led the architectural design, zoning approvals and permitting of the project. Our team envisioned a series of small structures tucked into the sloping earth, mostly hidden from the hillside above while opening up to the incredible views of the Oneida Narrows Reservoir. Guests can retreat into the quiet comfort of the shelters - and emerge to the communal hot springs, just steps away, whenever they please.

Local materials and regional expertise were foundational to this project. The primary building material - granite stones - were hauled from within a hundred yards or so of the building sites. Builders and craftspeople skilled in passive building techniques, timber framing and lime plaster were tapped to guide the construction, while the bulk of labor-hours were contributed by volunteers.

The design and construction of these shelters lean heavily on passive design, thermal mass, low carbon building materials and air-tight, super-insulated construction to ensure that they outlive everyone who participated in their realization as comfortable, enduring refuges. Originally designed to be built with hempcrete - a hemp-lime insulation that could be mixed and applied on site - the project pivoted to a double-stud wall filled with recycled cellulose and wrapped in a reinforced, vapor-open water-resistive barrier to further reduce its carbon footprint, cost and labor input.

Every decision was driven by the context of this endeavor and meticulously planned by the whole project team to balance ecological footprint, building performance and durability, human comfort, constructability and cost.

Each of the three shelters carries its own - shaped by the dozens of souls and hands that brought it to life.