This truly stunning home in Scottsdale, Arizona offers a great lesson in site-appropriate design. The large roof overhangs and massive rammed earth walls help keep it cool in a desert environment. Designed by architectural firm Kendle Design, the home is open to the desert light and views but maintains its privacy from the surrounding neighbor’s traditional European knockoffs. The space is both austere and grand.
At 8000 square feet this is not a modest home. It is split nearly in half – one part for the owners and one for guests and family. While having a large footprint, the design significantly reduces its impact by using soil from site to construct the walls. These massive earthen walls can dramatically reduce the need for AC, and can be cooled at night by opening the windows. The generously cantilevered copper-clad butterfly roof keeps the home’s floor-to-ceiling glass in the shade and provides ample outdoor space to relax in. A rain catchment system is also used to water the garden. One green building mantra this home excels in is “a green building is a beautiful building.” That is why it earned the Gold Nuggets Award Grand Prize in Residential Design.
+ Kendle Design Collaborative
Via Contemporist
