Three functional spaces – residence, workshop and guest quarters – are centered around a “tamed” courtyard with the “untamed” desert allowed to envelope and soften the edges of the exterior walls. The north-facing building arrangement provides shelter from the intense sun and focuses selected views to the sublime landscape beyond.

Integra block walls and the barn-red metal roof reflect the “feed-store” vernacular of this rural ranching community. The building materials are easy to maintain, have long life-cycles, provide high insulation values and are fire-resistant, critical in this remote area. 

Research into “sustainability” options allowed the couple to prioritize decisions, using technologies they could afford up front while planning for subsequent retrofits, such as eventual photovoltaic power and a plumbing system that isolates grey water for future storage and on-site use. A space heating-rated micro-boiler, plumbed to a solar hot water storage tank, provides domestic hot water and heats the radiant floor.  A vacuum heat tube solar collector supplies virtually all of the domestic hot water and supplements the radiant floor demand.

The interiors of the home and guesthouse are spare yet exquisite. Color and form are expressed in furnishings and artwork against exposed masonry and neutral plaster walls. Natural-colored concrete floors anchor the fine cabinetry and whimsical furniture, all hand-crafted by the Owner.