The home was designed to work within the Design Guidelines of the Town of Paradise Valley.
We were not to exceed the height of the top of the mountain in the center of the home and had to draw a 20 degree line from the pinnacle in all directions which the house could not penetrate.
We also had a “rolling” 24 foot building height envelope from the existing topography and a 40 foot maximum height from the lowest point of disturbance to the highest roof height.
I wanted to be able to capture views on both north (McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale) and south sides of the property (Camelback Mountain and Downtown Phoenix City lights).
This meant that I would somehow have to “infuse” the house into the mountain in order to create enough space for the 16,370 square feet of livable area and 8 car garage.
In order to reach the garage level we had to slope the access road downward by 12 feet to keep under the pinnacle height.
The cars would be parked on the upper level along with an entry hall in the center and two 2 bedroom guest room wings on the north and south respectively.
There would be stairs and elevators (3 in total) to go down to the main level.
The main level would include the master wing on the north and the living area in the south.
These two wings will be connected at the entry area on the west with a tunnel bored thorough the mountain from north to south and on the east with a 2,000 square foot entertainment hall which would be carved out of the mountain.
I wanted to make the house design memorable and simple.
It is organic, soft and livable.
It will also be built to last with low maintenance materials such as the titanium oxide coated aluminum panels and the structural glass columns which support the covered patios on the north and south.
This use of simple and elegant forms without any trendy appendages will ensure the timelessness of the design.
The overall form of the home is reminiscent of a manta ray (even though this was not intentional) and from the air the structure looks like it’s swimming on top of the mountain.
Its embrace of the mountaintop also ensures that we do not come too far out on the north and south to puncture the building envelope.
This is surely an example of site specific and view driven architecture.
The philosophy is truly an American architecture which Frank Lloyd Wright was preaching and practicing since the turn of the last century.
I have always been inspired by him and his life.
I think that’s probably the main reason I find myself practicing in Arizona a few minutes away from Taliesin.
Location : Paradise Valley, Arizona
Use : Residential - Single Family Home
Site Area : 8.72 Acre (379,843.2 sf)
Bldg. Area: 16,370 SF
Gross Floor Area : 28,370
Bldg. Coverage Ratio : 4.3%
Gross Floor Ratio : 7.5%
Bldg. Scale : 2 stories
Max. Height : 24’-0”
Landscape Area : To Be Determined
Parking Lot : 8-Car Garage, 2 outdoor
Exterior Finish : Titanium-Oxide Covered Aluminum
Architects : Nick Tsontakis AIA
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