LAWRENCE RESIDENCE
The desert box house, fondly named by the client, is what it sounds like. A 4500 SF custom modern residence and studio located in a low-density suburban neighborhood of Phoenix, the monolithic house and studio facilitates the fundamental needs of the client: hospitality, production, and art.
The quiet and imposing figure of the house sits centrally on a former horse field against a desert backdrop. As an object, it stands in stark contrast to its landscape. The formal language of the house consists of two simple, distinct volumes. The primary, lower volume for domestic life and the upper volume and terraces for the work of the photographer.
Appearing to be sculpted from a single block of stone, the volume of the house is conceptually solid and designed as a series of subtractions to make the interior primary space as well as the exterior porches. The secondary spaces such as bathrooms and closets comprise the solid poche.
The large, central open space for entertaining and living is flanked by the owners' suite and children's bedrooms on either side. The expansive west living room glass wall can be opened completely to create a de-facto courtyard framed by the deep west porch and pool beyond.
The upstairs volume, accessed only by an exterior stair, accommodates the full range of activities required by the client's work as a photographer and videographer.
Both exterior and interior material palettes are minimal: only white stucco and glass for the exterior and analogous white surfaces or white oak panels for the interior.
LAWRENCE RESIDENCE
YEAR 2022
PHEONIX, ARIZONA
Photos by King Lawrence
Structural Engineering by JRJ Engineering LLC
Civil Engineering by Summit Civil Group
Interior Design by Holly Wright Design
The material that starts at the ground finishes at the sky, emphatic and absolute without horizontal interruption. The glazing is resolved similarly, with no horizontal mullions, only vertical joints. The project realized the program while intentionally keeping the form of the house a perfect rectangle, the same can be said for the studio above accessed only via an outside stair that faces the street, ensuring complete separation of living and working.