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4:44 pm

In southern Arizona, close to the

Mexican border, landscape and
sky collide in an exhilarating
rush of space and light. This
elevated desert area is known
for its awesome summer
lightning storms and very clear
night skies (accounting for the
presence of several astronomical
observatories). Within this
extraordinary natural arena, Rick
Joy has built a house, a tautly
graphic composition of glass and
planes of hoary, rusted steel that
sits lightly and low on the ground,
like a lizard basking on a rock.

H OUSE , A RIZONA , USA

ARCHITECT
R ICK J OY

Page 46

His clients were a couple from

Ohio who had spent their
holidays in the Southwest and
become seduced by its vast,
primeval landscapes to the point
of commissioning a retirement
home. Covered with scrub,
native mesquite trees and low
wild grasses, the desert site
slopes gently down to the south.
In the distance, snow-capped
mountains delicately frame the
horizon. Apart from the usual
living and guest spaces, the clients
requested two studies, areas for
entertainment and an optical

telescope platform (the husband

is a former radio astronomer and
the site was selected as much for
its night-time view of crystal clear
skies as daytime panoramas). All
this had to be contained on a
single floor.
Joys response was to carve a
level shelf into the hill, defined by
two U-shaped retaining walls
skewed towards one another.
This establishes a datum for the
house. The retaining walls form
the ends of two shed-like
volumes (the main dwelling and a
smaller guest house) that gently

nudge into each other, with a

linear courtyard occupying the
intermediate space. From the
approach road, only the glazed
ends of the sheds are visible
above the ground; at night these
become glowing abstract forms,
apparently hovering in space. A
gravel-covered garden spiked
with plump cacti flanks the
entrance. To get in, you descend
through a stair wedged in the
cleft between the two retaining
walls, to emerge in the
tranquillity of the courtyard
below. Pools of water and

TOUCHING NATURE
Encased in a carapace of weathered steel, a retirement house in the spectacular
splendour of the Arizona desert appears part of its raw, elemental, landscape.

46 | 7

1
The gently angular peaks of the
roof mimic the topography of the
distant mountains.
2
Embedded in the slope, the house
presents a modest profile from the
approach road.
3
The shed-like volumes of the main
house and its smaller guest wing
enclose an intermediate courtyard.
4
Courtyard is landscaped in a very
precise fashion, with cubic planters
and calm pools of water.
5
A weathered carapace of rusted
steel cladding envelops the house.

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ar july 2001 joy done

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4:44 pm

Page 48

mesquite trees provide cooling

shade and the fragrant vegetation
attracts hummingbirds and
butterflies. The very precise
detailing of the courtyard
concrete paving, crisply
rectilinear planters and cubic
volumes of water expresses
the controlled, man-made
character of the house against
the rawness and unpredictability
of nature. At the west end of the
courtyard, a swimming pool
extends the vista towards the far
distant horizon.
The houses organization
emphasizes the connection with
the exterior, as internal and
external spaces meld fluidly with
one other. Flanked by the

courtyard, the main living space is

a long bar with a covered porch
at its far end overlooking the
swimming pool. To the rear is the
master bedroom and bathroom
and twin studies, which face the
courtyard but also overlook a
smaller private patio and pool,
enclosed by the retaining wall.
Each window exactly focuses and
frames a particular view; some
windows are set flush with the
steel surface, some are box-like
protrusions, some unglazed cutouts. The smaller guest wing also
houses a garage and a platform
for an optical telescope.
Joy likens the house to a geode,
the coarseness of the rough steel
exterior contrasting with the

refinement of the interior. Used

extensively in farm buildings and
structures, rusted steel is a
common sight in the Arizona
countryside. Because of the
intensely dry climate, steel
weathers quickly but does not
rust through, so it was not
necessary to use costly
proprietary types of oxydized
steel cladding. From a distance,
the rough, red carapace of the
house is a strong yet familiar
presence, resonating with the
hues of the desert. Inside, white
plaster walls and black polished
concrete floors impart a simple,
understated elegance. Pale maple,
sandblasted glass and stainless
steel complete the interior

palette. Sliding glass panels

heighten the connection with the
exterior and assist in cross
ventilation, although the dwelling
is also air conditioned. Joys
house extends the Modernist
tradition of domesticating nature,
yet powerfully rooted in the
landscape, it is also sensitive to
nuances of a remarkable place.
C. S.
Architect
Rick Joy, Tucson, USA
Project team
Rick Joy, Andy Tinucci, Franz Buhler,
Chelsea Grassinger
Structural engineer
Southwest Structural Engineers
Mechanical engineer
Otterbein Engineering
Photography
Jeff Goldberg/Esto

H OUSE , A RIZONA , USA

ARCHITECT
R ICK J OY

cross section

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

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courtyard
entrance
living
kitchen
pantry
bedroom
study
workshop
garage
porch
pool
guest house

ground floor plan (scale approx 1:400)

6
Carefully placed openings frame,
focus and edit views of the vast
landscape beyond.
7
Main living and dining spaces.
8
An enclosed terrace and sensuous
pool terminate the west end of the
main house.
8

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