Making it in Big Sky: Cushing Terrell

EBS STAFF

Experience isn’t something you can replicate, explains Sky Cook, associate owner at Cushing Terrell, an architecture firm that services seven states in the U.S., including coverage in most of Montana. And Cushing Terrell has 85 years of it. The firm moved to their Bozeman office in 2002 and has been designing, planning and building projects of every shape and size across the valley and Big Sky since. For this issue’s Making it in Big Sky, Explore Big Sky talked to Cook about their vision for the area’s future, as well as her favorite local projects: the Ramcharger and Swift Current lifts at Big Sky Resort.

This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.

Explore Big Sky: Sky, tell me about yourself – when did you join the Cushing Terrell team and what is your role?

Sky Cook: I am an architect, project manager and associate owner at Cushing Terrell. I have been with the firm for 16 years and lead the Architecture studio for our Bozeman region projects. The Bozeman office was established in 2002 and we have continued to grow our multidisciplinary architecture and engineering practice in Bozeman and surrounding communities since then. The team here is currently comprised of architects, interior designers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, landscape architects, surveyors and land planners.   

EBS: Cushing Terrell has been around for a while. Can you speak to what longevity brings to the table for an architecture firm?

SC: Having 85 years of business behind us really gives Cushing Terrell, above all, perspective. We have experienced, first-hand, the growth and evolution of this critical industry over the past eight-plus decades and have grown and evolved along with it. But with age also comes wisdom and the benefit of experience—so many years of transferred knowledge is simply impossible to replicate. And then, of course, we’ve had the opportunity to really become a part of the fabric of the communities where our team members have lived and worked for so long. Making positive impacts on the health, safety and growth of our communities is really what brings us to work each day.

EBS: We live in such a beautiful place. What does Cushing Terrell feel your responsibility is in working with this landscape with your projects?

SC: Our vision for design in Montana and elsewhere is a balance between the built and natural environments that will provide a healthy future for our clients, colleagues and communities. We aim to contribute to this balance by making sustainability a foundation of our design and business operations. Montana, being not only home to our founding office, but also unique in its vast and as yet undisturbed natural landscapes and resources, holds a special importance in our minds and in our work. With all the knowledge and insight we have today that point to the critical importance of protecting this natural beauty and these finite resources, we acknowledge and accept our role as innovators who can set a precedent for environmentally conscious and sustainable design solutions for the next 85 years, and beyond. 

EBS: Tell me about some projects you’ve done in Big Sky:

SC: We have a long history of working in the Big Sky area and have weathered the peaks and valleys of the growth that has occurred here in recent decades. One of my favorite Big Sky Resort projects was the Ramcharger and Swift Current chairlift buildings, a structure witnessed by so many on the mountain, that not many firms get to include in their portfolios. 

Cushing Terrell also played a big part in the development effort of the Big Sky Town Center at its inception two decades ago; the Big Sky Town Center vision was largely implemented according to the planned unit development that we completed in 2004. This project exceeded typical development timelines and evolved with changes that occurred in the market over time, but the overall vision of creating a commercial hub at the base of a mountain resort, infilled with walkable residential, has materialized. 

Today we are working on projects around Big Sky Resort including the Levinski Lodge, a 30-unit workforce housing project, and the Cold Smoke development, an approximately 350-unit workforce housing master plan in partnership with Lone Mountain Land Company with the goal of starting entitlements this winter.

EBS: What sets you apart from other firms in the area?

SC: One of the phrases we often use to portray Cushing Terrell is “Where design meets you” and I think that really captures our differentiator in a nutshell. Our design process is highly collaborative and always centers on improving the user experience of the built environment above all else. We don’t have a defined “style” and we approach every design challenge as an opportunity to live out our mission to “invent a better way of living.” This, paired with our multidisciplinary structure enables a uniquely holistic approach to our design solutions. 

EBS: Sustainability seems to be a core pillar of the company; can you explain how you advocate for that your work and why it is important in every project?

SC: As I alluded to previously, with the information we have today that illustrates the building industry’s contribution to energy use and damaging carbon emissions, we are compelled to be responsible stewards of the natural environment by reducing our own footprint and that of our clients. This emphasis is apparent in the commitments we have made to hold ourselves accountable for making a measurable impact. Some of these include a firm-wide Sustainable Design Initiative that aligns with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and is applicable to all projects, our SME Climate Commitment/UN Race to Zero Participant, and the institution of a sustainability service sector to elevate our sustainable design experts among our project teams and make their guidance more readily available to our clients.

EBS: What is some of the best business advice you’ve ever received that sticks with you in your work?

SC: Working in a project-based, deadline-driven industry, I have engaged in many discussions about finding balance between work and life. One quote that stands out is: The secret to life is always having something to look forward to… so, what are you looking forward to? 

EBS: Anything else you feel is important to tell the Big Sky community?

SC: In this destination-oriented city we call home, we have focused our work and impact around the resort community as well as the local community. We all love to live, work and explore in this region and know what it takes to keep momentum going around growth and evolution. Through our range of service offerings, project typologies, and market sector expertise spanning across commercial, financial, mixed use, multi-family residential, education, and healthcare, Cushing Terrell brings a unique and dynamic perspective to shaping our environments. Taking a holistic approach allows us to maintain authenticity and respond to the needs of our community.