Oasis

from E. Parker Russo - 2023 Portfolio

Seaport

A highly successful civil engineer is retiring. Having designed some of the largest bridges in the world she now wishes to spend the rest of her days in Arizona. She holds a design competition for her dream home. A tertiary family friend I manage to talk my way into an entry. Despite not having any professional work experience in this typology, and up against 3 established local firms who design luxury homes in this area every day - my design was selcted.

The site offers exceptional views at a steep price - a 45° cliff face. My goal was to have the home rest within the desertscape and dissapear within it. The form - A linear bar, is split in half by two monolothic boulders on site which separate the private home (left) from the public entertaining space (right). The private bar is kinked and swung out precariously over the cliff creating a dramatic panorama across the desert plains from the master bedroom. An elegant yet sturdy mass timber truss, just like the ones she had so beautifully engineered throughout her career, anchors the form to the rock below. Ultimately I was offering her an opportunity nobody else had - To take part in the design of her dream home, in her own way.

Location

Tuscon, Arizona

Project Type

Single-Family Residential

Size

5,000+ ft2

Status

Freelance, On Hold

Sun and shadow play are at the forefront of this design, from the macro to the micro scale. Materials and forms play with the light to create dynamic and dramatic moments throughout the massive home giving it intrigue at every scale

Massive locally sourced stone walls appear to effortlessly hoist the weathered steel planes above providing both an industrial yet warm interior experience. The steel planes are designed to provide shade in the summer and allow sun in the winter. Oversized sliders dissapear into the stones allowing for an incredible indoor/outdoor living experience