The design task was to create a 160 m2 family house, an elegant, light, cheerful home for a young couple. We could already start work from the architectural plans, so they could even initiate some minor modifications to those. Cooking plays an important role in the lives of the customers, so the detailed kitchen utensil requirements were part of the brief. They would also like to have kids in the future, so the goal was to make the kitchen, dining room and living room function as one space, and the dining room extendable. However, a relatively small space was available for this, so the kitchen was given an unusual formal design. With every detail in mind, the most current mechanical and intelligent systems have been integrated into the house: from the unique drying system in the laundry room to the chamber. An interesting solution is the placement of the sinks in one of the bathrooms, their back wall functions as a screen for the shower. In addition, one half of the building is underground, so those solutions have been preferred, which allow more natural light into the interiors (e.g., acid-coated glass and glass bathroom doors have been used in the common wall of the illuminated staircase and bathroom). We were free to walk between styles. So geometric, playful shapes, customer-preferred blue and oak veneered wood surfaces create harmony in the spaces. The walls feature contemporary posters, custom prints and contemporary artwork.

SLDarch: The shaded Main Entry, tucked deep into the shadows, is approached from a rising stepped garden path, leading up to a gentle, quiet water feature and custom stainless steel, glass and wood pivot entry door...open this and venture in to the Central Foyer space, shrouded by curved concrete & stainless steel structure and orienting the visitor to the central core of this curvaceous home. From this central orientation point, one begins to perceive the magic and mystery yet to be revealed in the undulating spatial volumes, spiraling out in several directions. Ahead is the kitchen and breakfast room, to the right are the Children's Bedroom Wing and the 'ocotillo stairs' to Master Bedroom upstairs. Venture left down the gentle ramp that follows along the gurgling water stream and meander past the bar and billiards, or on towards the main living room. The entire ceiling areas are a brilliant series of overlapping smoothly curved plaster and steel framed layers, separated by translucent poly-carbonate panels. This combats the intense summer heat and light, but carefully allows indirect natural daylight to gently sift through the deep interior of this unique desert home. Wandering through the organic curves of this home eventually leads you to another gentle ramp leading to the very private and secluded Meditation Room, entered through a double shoji door and sporting a supple leather floor radiating around a large circular glass Floor Window. Here is the ideal place to sit and meditate while seeming to hover over the colorful reflecting koi pool just below. The glass meditation room walls slide open, revealing a special desert garden, while at night the gurgling water reflects dancing lights up through the glass floor into this lovely Zen Zone. "Blocking the intense summer sun was a prime objective here and was accomplished by clever site orientation, massive roof overhangs, super insulated exterior walls and roof, ultra high-efficiency water cooled A/C system and ample earth contact and below grade areas." There is a shady garden path with foot bridge crossing over a natural desert wash, leading to the detached Desert Office, actually set below the xeriscape desert garden by 30" while hidden below, completely underground and naturally cooled sits another six car garage. The main residence also has a 4 car below grade garage and lovely swimming pool with party patio in the backyard. This property falls withing the City Of Scottsdale Natural Area Open Space area so special attention was required for this sensitive desert land project.

The customers desired a secluded environment for retreat at the end of a long workday. The project began with stone selection. We desired an organic stone that would age beautifully over time, and shape the walls and features of the space. Our team faced major logistics challenges throughout the project. The wooded property sloped away from the house dramatically making difficulty bringing in large materials and machinery needed to complete the job. Tree protection and a temporary road were constructed for the duration of the project. Stone placement was key to success for this project. We hand-selected each boulder for the project and assembled the stones by similar grain patterns and colors to create authenticity. The idea was to give the illusion that these natural limestone formations existed on the property before the home and landscaping was created adding a great mystery to the overall feature. The viewer is surrounded by large stone walls with cascades of water that have shaped the stone over time. The viewer is given the illusion that the source of water comes from the distance of the property and cascades into a secluded area. We designed an underground cistern to hold rain water run-off allowing the water feature to naturally filter the water for re-use. The pump system is run on a Variable Frequency Drive for programmable automation, allowing the customer to run the waterfall at different flow rates at different times of day allowing for operation cost savings, and low energy consumption. Linda Oyama Bryan