South Palm Canyon Uno
Mountains surround the project site and provide 270+ degrees of scenic views. Sensitivity to the South Palm Canyon location is expressed in the site design that set out to establish a direct relationship with the mountain vistas and solar patterns. By orienting the home’s indoor/outdoor living to the south and north, the project maximizes passive heating and cooling strategies and promotes cross ventilation from the prevailing cooling breezes. In recognizing the 80’ deep and 250’ long trapezoidal boundary, site geometry informed major design decisions and resulted in a series of volumes running east-west with proximity to the street which demanded privacy. Early in the design process the selection of concrete masonry units met the needs of the project; providing durability, thermal mass, and acoustic performance while acting as an elegant backdrop to the home. Along the street, stands the backbone of the design, a 132’ white split face concrete masonry wall; the home’s structure, finish, and underlying texture. This wall connects the main core of the home to the artist studio and creates a courtyard promoting indoor-outdoor living; here, windows provide uninterrupted sight lines through indoor/outdoor spaces.
A series of incisions on the CMU wall at the courtyard are inspired by a visualizations of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. Clerestory windows embrace the mountain ridges and provide plentiful daylight while maintaining privacy. The design exceeded California Title 24 Energy Standards while utilizing generous indoor/outdoor operable windows and openings. Reinforcing our sustainable strategies are solar electric systems, deep overhangs and trellis to protect from intense summer sun. The material palette is simple and withstands the demanding desert conditions; white split face CMU, exposed structural steel, and Cor-Ten steel create contrast and a balanced composition.
