DESERT CASE STUDY HOUSE

A steel frame home built on a concrete foundation 50' above the street below, on a hillside in Phoenix, Arizona. The home is situated to take advantage of perfect solar oprientations to fully shade South facing glasss during the hot summer months and expose the South face to solar gain in the cool winter. Double thick exterior walls on the West side fully block the drastic desert heat from the Western exposure. An oversized, thickened, flat roof insulates the interior from the heat of the desert sun above.

A reclaimed wood staircase ascends to the second floor. Steel beams and custom plates support the old growth eastern white pine treads taken from a demolished 18th century warehouse in St. Louis, Missouri. The beams were cut, planed and refinished into timeless wood treads. A consistant design theme in the home was to keep horizontal planes in rustic, natural materials. The verticals are abstracted in glass and smooth coat white stucco.

Hand made concrete countertops cast in solid black and an entrance stair constructed of found stone bring an artisan quality to the minimalist expression of the home. Today a platform lift rises on a steel track system from the parking area below to the home on the hillside above.