Ventana Mountain Estates, Home 502 was completed in 2011 by Kevin B Howard Architects, nestled at the peak of a mountaintop in the Catalina Foothills, Tucson, Arizona. The design uses the natural rock outcroppings to zone the residence from public to private. A void is formed in plan, as the mountaintop becomes the complementing solid. The multi-level home organically forms into the mountain, erasing the distinctions between what is a synthetic wall or a naturally occurring rock formation. Horizontal lines create an architecture that complements the mountain and tries not to take away from the grandeur of the site. The site specific planning hides even its modest size.

The exterior materials consist of exposed steel, rusted metal, exposed masonry, and glass. The exterior palette continued through to the interior detailing as shown in the transparency of the wine room below the stairs. Despite the low profile of the house and slender lines of the roof, the solar panels that surface the roof are hardly visible. The marriage of site and organic architecture complimented with active technology create a home that is complete in its execution.

Photos: William Lesch Photography