HK Associates real house
Description
real house frames the boldness and subtleties of the Sonoran Desert, translating these qualities into spaces that a young family of five can call home. a driving part of the design process was site selection with the clients. the ideal was to find a foothills parcel with panoramic views; however as these kinds of lots were scarce we instead found the opposite of these expectations: an introverted parcel along a quiet arroyo — with seemingly no views — surrounded by neighbors, and downslope from a busy road. artful siting, architectural framing, and the use of mirrors, stage views near and far, and transform the low-lying riparian prospect of the lot into an experience of expansive solitude that edits out the neighbors and amplifies the raw beauty of the desert. the positioning of the home also integrated careful topographic cut and fill manipulations to minimize desert habitat disturbance and skirt the banks and setbacks of the arroyo’s protected flood plain. heightening the interplay between inside and outside, opposite the main courtyard, a periscope runs the length of the living space above a wall of cabinets, drawing in views of the distant mountains. real house turns the act of looking into an experience, a moment of unexpected discovery. to build the dialogue between daily life and the natural envioronment, the entry sequence into the home first takes inhabitants away from the view to then reveal the dramatic abundance of the desert. providing a centering moment of focus and release, the main courtyard — an echo of Sonoran Desert courtyard traditions — holds both the pool and the sky. in this outdoor room, foreground and middle ground stage family life against the distant view of the city of Tucson.
Architect
Description
real house frames the boldness and subtleties of the Sonoran Desert, translating these qualities into spaces that a young family of five can call home. a driving part of the design process was site selection with the clients. the ideal was to find a foothills parcel with panoramic views; however as these kinds of lots were scarce we instead found the opposite of these expectations: an introverted parcel along a quiet arroyo — with seemingly no views — surrounded by neighbors, and downslope from a busy road. artful siting, architectural framing, and the use of mirrors, stage views near and far, and transform the low-lying riparian prospect of the lot into an experience of expansive solitude that edits out the neighbors and amplifies the raw beauty of the desert. the positioning of the home also integrated careful topographic cut and fill manipulations to minimize desert habitat disturbance and skirt the banks and setbacks of the arroyo’s protected flood plain. heightening the interplay between inside and outside, opposite the main courtyard, a periscope runs the length of the living space above a wall of cabinets, drawing in views of the distant mountains. real house turns the act of looking into an experience, a moment of unexpected discovery. to build the dialogue between daily life and the natural envioronment, the entry sequence into the home first takes inhabitants away from the view to then reveal the dramatic abundance of the desert. providing a centering moment of focus and release, the main courtyard — an echo of Sonoran Desert courtyard traditions — holds both the pool and the sky. in this outdoor room, foreground and middle ground stage family life against the distant view of the city of Tucson.
Architect
