Architecture Masterclass: How Split Cabin Reimagines Minimalism in the Mountains

Architecture Masterclass: How Split Cabin Reimagines Minimalism in the Mountains

How do you design a mountain retreat that is minimalist in form yet profoundly rich in experience? In this special AIA-accredited webinar, Architizer and LaCantina Doors welcome Todd Smith, AIA/NCARB and partner at Syndicate Smith, to unpack the award-winning Split Cabin — the 2025 Best of LaCantina Best in Show winner. Smith will reveal how his team crafted a unique residence that uses glazing, material restraint and spatial clarity to frame the landscape with uncommon intimacy.

Joining the discussion are LaCantina’s Sara Rota, who will illuminate the technical considerations behind the project’s high-performance sliding systems, and Josh Temple, Best of LaCantina judge and HGTV host, who will share insights from the jury’s perspective. Together, the panel will examine how Split Cabin leverages LaCantina’s systems to expand space, increase comfort and maintain simplicity without sacrificing performance.

This masterclass will offer architects a rare, practitioner-led look at a project where modesty drives innovation, and where glazing systems operate not as accents, but as the architectural engine of the design. The session concludes with a live audience Q&A. Attending architects will receive AIA CEU credit, courtesy of LaCantina.

By attending this webinar, you will:

• Explore strategies for designing minimalist architecture that remains warm and deeply connected to its natural surroundings.
• Understand how passive performance strategies can be embedded directly into design decisions related to form, orientation and envelope.
• Examine how glazing design can shape circulation, expand perceived space and frame views.
• Gain insight into what jurors look for in exemplary residential projects, including clarity of intent, material coherence and environmental responsiveness.

About Paul

Paul Keskeys is Editor in Chief at Architizer. An architect-trained editor, writer and content creator, Paul graduated from UCL and the University of Edinburgh, gaining an MArch in Architectural Design with distinction. Paul has spoken about the art of architecture and storytelling at many national industry events, including AIANY, NeoCon, KBIS, the Future NOW Symposium, the Young Architect Conference and NYCxDesign. As well as hundreds of editorial publications on Architizer, Paul has also had features published in Architectural Digest, PIN—UP Magazine, Archinect, Aesthetica Magazine and PUBLIC Journal.

This webinar is hosted in partnership with

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