3 lines in the desert

611 options studio_fall 2013

studio critic: Stephen Leet,  professor at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts

program: a desert house for art collectors, an aviator and a swimmer 

location: Marfa, Texas

site plan

A ranch house for an art collecting couple outside Marfa. The husband is a writer and a swimmer, requiring a linear library and a lap pool. The wife is an aviator and amateur astronomer, requiring a runway and star-gazing terrace. 

approach 

The house was conceived as a series of concrete masonry walls running parallel in grain beneath a louvered parasol on a slightly elevated plinth. A 12' x 12' grid of 20 ft high, thin steel columns supports the parasol and, at times, enters the house. The parasol reduces sun exposure on the house creating a microclimate on the plinth.

plans and sections (click through)

The "service" spaces of the house, the kitchen, guest room and courtyard are located to the north in a low volume while the large, entertaining spaces are oriented to the south and east. The house recedes beneath the parasol on the south west corner where the parallel walls shad the house from intense southwest evening light. 

section perspective  (click to enlarge)

section perspective detail (click to enlarge)

entrance sequence (click through)

Screen-like parallel walls slip past the column grid forming shallow apses to frame and protect the artwork as you circulate through the house. 

kitchen, guest room, and library (click through)

The visibility of the louvered parasol varies throughout the house, in the kitchen invisibly shading a patio with breathtaking views.  

sky terrace (click to enlarge)

The wife retreats to the sky terrace on the second level at night, the louvered roof framing a James Turrell-like void.