Tucson Lifestyle Home and Garden • August 2019 • AIA Home of the Year

The Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Tucson Lifestyle Home & Garden present the Home of the Year and the Interior Architecture Home of the Year.

The glass and steel bridge connects the main house to the guest wing and hangs over the gallery and entryway. The floating stairs pay homage to Renzo Piano’s Atrium in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Devoted to minimalism’s stark allure, the owners required a “modern, minimal home, a pristine box that seemed to have landed in the desert.” Protecting the owners’ collection of art and modernist furniture contrasted with the desire of an open plan that took advantage of the desert views. These diverging goals resulted in the elevation of the major living spaces to the upper floor. A programmatic shift reduced the footprint and construction impact, and created the need for vertical movement.

The protective measures of the gallery space drove the design, inspiring a formal arrangement of shadow boxes with deeply recessed glass panes. The interior stair acts as a tectonic centerpiece, contrasting the formal execution of the main atrium while matching its clarity and refinement in detailing. This atrium houses the bulk of the owners’ art collection and connects the upper and lower floors of the residence. The height allows the living spaces to breathe and the art to be viewed from different positions. The main living and dining spaces face south, framing the view of the desert below in a perfect unobstructed vista.

OPPOSITE TOP The nano doors bring the outside in, and allow an unimpeded view. The deep overhang protects the valuable art pieces from sun damage.

ABOVE The interior design focused on making the owners’ art collection part of daily life.

OPPOSITE TOP The kitchen is designed with minimalist features, including waterfall countertops and seating for casual dining.

BELOW Another set of nano doors leads out to a north-facing patio with a spa and pool.

Canyon House is equal parts landform and a mechanism for viewing. It blurs the boundaries between inside and outside.

Sited to frame the Catalinas to the north and the Tucson Mountains to the southwest, the intent was for the clients to “live in the view,” with sensory immersion being the driving concept and effort of the architecture.

The architect’s “immersive concept” was taken from the proto-cinematic effects of the 18th and 19th century cycloramas, invented by Irish painter Robert Barker in 1785. The cyclorama was a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give a 360-degree view. The canyon-like living space in the center of the home is flanked on the east and west sides by the service and bedroom wings. Clerestory windows allow mountaintop views.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM Sliding nano doors lead from the kitchen and dining spaces to another terrace with a view.

BELOW The minimalist furnishings in the living room and bathroom keep all eyes on the architectural design elements and the views.

Located in the historic Armory Park Neighborhood, the 18th Street Bungalows pull from the past in context, detail and proportion on the exterior, but offer a modern, double-height loft space on the interior. The single lot was split into four separate properties to establish a concept that embraces the repeating unit approach found in the historic district.

Reinterpretation is a constant with the scheme: the typical ventilated upper attic space of the surrounding historic homes is re-defined as living spaces with glazing and shade louvers. This allows a second floor with shaded windows that match the height of the adjacent historic properties.

ABOVE The bedroom features unique angling of the ceiling and plenty of light through the louvered windows, which cast beautiful shadows that shift throughout the day.