Canyon Pass at Dove Mnt . 103

Guests are drawn through a Cholla grove and arrive in the shelter of the Tortolita Mountains. The entry pulls guests through the filtered light and flowing air of a constructed box canyon, taking them beneath the home to a garden and stairway that opens to a pristine hillside. The unencumbered, shifting views reveal the designer’s ethos; to touch lightly on the desert, to maximize access to the vistas, and to optimize a smaller program for the owners.

This is achieved by drawing the weight of the program to the second floor and tethering the house within the lee of the natural rock outcropping. The elevated profile stretches the horizon out and down to better serve the home’s secondary purpose as an astronomical observatory. 

The design of this residence emphasizes an essential need to live in the desert as an integrated, respectful observer of the changing sky and the shifting natural landscape.