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Desert Pearl Residence
Desert Pearl Residence
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Other Projects by Flynn Architecture & Design
Desert Pearl Residence
Type
STATUS
Concept
SIZE
5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft
BUDGET
$1M - 5M
In the hot, dry desert with mountains in the background sits a cool white pearl, like a mirage in the landscape. The vast, clear sky stretches above while under shaded canopies below, works of art are created. Located in Arizona, the client – an artist and astronomer – requested a home integrating a workshop, art gallery and telescope dome.
Although half the residence is a fabrication workshop, the program did not bifurcate into a living/working duality. Rather, an exhibition gallery blends the programmatic spaces by displaying the artistic efforts developed a few steps away. The main staircase co-habits the room, making interaction with art intertwined with circulation. An elevator rises to the roof deck, transporting visitors and equipment for stargazing parties.
The workshop’s barrel vault roof extrudes in section. The living areas, sweeping across the south mountain vista, extrude in plan. Together, these massive curved volumes counterbalance the focal point of the spherical telescope dome.
Astronomical photography required an elevated position to avoid distortion waves rising from the hot desert ground. Yet buildings also release absorbed heat at night, and therefore white, lightweight sheet metal clads the exterior. Its high reflectance deflects the sun’s initial rays while its high emissivity quickly sheds retained heat, maintaining the residence near ambient temperatures. Wire-mesh fencing and open bar grating permit free air flow around the structurally isolated telescope pier.
Blossoming like a desert flower, bifold and oversized glass garage doors (used for large art works) open the interior spaces to a central courtyard, where a translucent acrylic canopy filters light and disperses heat. The northern canopy extends to create an outdoor, overflow fabrication area while southern overhangs block the summer sun from the interior. A shaded pool and artificial grass ecologically conserve water while providing an unexpected oasis in the scorching climate.
Although half the residence is a fabrication workshop, the program did not bifurcate into a living/working duality. Rather, an exhibition gallery blends the programmatic spaces by displaying the artistic efforts developed a few steps away. The main staircase co-habits the room, making interaction with art intertwined with circulation. An elevator rises to the roof deck, transporting visitors and equipment for stargazing parties.
The workshop’s barrel vault roof extrudes in section. The living areas, sweeping across the south mountain vista, extrude in plan. Together, these massive curved volumes counterbalance the focal point of the spherical telescope dome.
Astronomical photography required an elevated position to avoid distortion waves rising from the hot desert ground. Yet buildings also release absorbed heat at night, and therefore white, lightweight sheet metal clads the exterior. Its high reflectance deflects the sun’s initial rays while its high emissivity quickly sheds retained heat, maintaining the residence near ambient temperatures. Wire-mesh fencing and open bar grating permit free air flow around the structurally isolated telescope pier.
Blossoming like a desert flower, bifold and oversized glass garage doors (used for large art works) open the interior spaces to a central courtyard, where a translucent acrylic canopy filters light and disperses heat. The northern canopy extends to create an outdoor, overflow fabrication area while southern overhangs block the summer sun from the interior. A shaded pool and artificial grass ecologically conserve water while providing an unexpected oasis in the scorching climate.
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