Dancing Light Residence
Paradise Valley / Arizona / USA
Desert form, indigenous materials, natural light, and mountain views inspire this home. Layered walls of rammed-earth, metal, concrete, and glass create a playful collection of organic forms within a natural desert setting while visually articulating the various functions within.
The signature feature of this home is its floating roof canopy, the underside of which is comprised of tectonic-like forms inspired by the local geology and monsoon cloud formations. More than just sculpture and protection from the elements, this canopy balances the owner’s desire for both grandeur and coziness, starting low within the interior living spaces and rising dramatically towards the 180-degree mountain view. All lighting and mechanical devices are carefully concealed within the fissures of this feature, allowing the form and materials to be the focus.
The signature feature of this home is its floating roof canopy, the underside of which is comprised of tectonic-like forms inspired by the local geology and monsoon cloud formations. More than just sculpture and protection from the elements, this canopy balances the owner’s desire for both grandeur and coziness, starting low within the interior living spaces and rising dramatically towards the 180-degree mountain view. All lighting and mechanical devices are carefully concealed within the fissures of this feature, allowing the form and materials to be the focus.
The experience of a home should always be dynamic. The dynamism should come from a felt flow, a pouring of nature through the home – almost as if it is tuning a fork to the 360-degree experience. Moving through the house should always result in measures of awe, gratitude, and humility, as well as surprise.”
– Dancing Light Homeowner
A passive feature includes interior spaces arranged about a central outdoor atrium, allowing modulation of daylight and breezes to provide natural interior comfort. Natural light brings this home to life, seeping in through carefully articulated crevices or reflecting off the strategically located pool, constantly transforming the mood of this home. At times water-reflected light dances across the fractured planes of earth and wood while other times providing a Zen-like sense of calm.
