NVB17001

NVB17001 ARROYO HOUSE

NVB17001

PROJECT LOCATION: B lue Diamond, Nevada

COMPLETION DATE: Fal l 2016

BUILDING AREA: 3,875 sf

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:Arroyo House was or ig inal ly envis ioned as a “base-camp” for an act ive, yet near ly - ret i red couple. Af ter recent ly re locat ing to the Las Vegas area, their love of a l l th ings outdoors convinced them to make their home in the t iny v i l lage of Blue Diamond, Nevada. Whi le only minutes f rom Las Vegas, Blue Diamond is a ½ mi le wide by ½ mi le long hamlet , surrounded by some of the most iconic landscapes and sought -af ter rock outcroppings in the US. A s izable arroyo (natural wash) in the far southeast corner of Blue Diamond had always kept about an acre and a hal f isolated f rom the rest of the community. Decades-old mining explorat ion act iv i t ies had lef t i r revers ib le scarr ing on the s i te, but the surrounding publ ic lands, managed by the BLM, were largely untouched. The soon-to-be owners had already taken up residence in an older home in the middle of town when this seemingly forgotten piece of proper ty came up for sale. They knew they had to buy i t .

Whi le we recognized the enormous potent ia l of the s i te, and the owners gave us broad creat ive l icense, they also had str ict project requirements. A l though the home would be bui l t over the scarred por t ion of the s i te, as much of the remaining por t ion of the s i te as possible would be preser ved as wi ld l i fe habitat . The design was also required to opt imize dayl ight and capture the stunning v iews only avai lable f rom the highest e levat ions of the s i te. Expansive f loor- to-cei l ing g lass, protected by 10’ deep overhangs in some cases, opt imizes dayl ight and captures v iews of the famous Red Rock “Escarpment”. Medium hue, l ight ly ground and pol ished concrete f loors, and br ight white, no-VOC painted wal ls and cei l ings ref lect l ight deep into the l iv ing spaces.

The owners also required that the home’s impact on the munic ipal water source, a communal ar tesian wel l , be minimal . A l l p lumbing f ix tures and to i lets , are low-f low. A l l gray water is recycled for landscape i r r igat ion, and al l b lack water is t reated on-s i te through a sept ic system. Pr imar y heat ing and cool ing is d istr ibuted through an in-s lab hydronic radiant system. Whi le the home would be connected to munic ipal ut i l i t ies, they wanted a net -zero home that could produce as much or more electr ic i ty than i t would consume. Whi le recent changes to the power provider ’s solar rebate programs have postponed the purchase and instal lat ion of a photovolta ic array, the owners expect to instal l a bal last -type array soon.

As an aging couple, i t was also impor tant for the home to not only address their needs now, but a lso 10, 20 or 30 years into the future. Rol l - in type showers, addit ional b locking for grab bars, and an exter ior wrap-around deck connect ing al l program areas address the real i t ies of aging in p lace. With the except ion of the garage, a l l of the l iv ing spaces are on one level . A dr iveway connects the lower garage to the upper level , a l lowing for easy drop-of f of grocer ies, for removal of recyclables, as a storm water d ivers ion, and for addit ional guest parking. Landscape restorat ion on the remaining open areas of the s i te to a near-natural state is expected to take several years.

PROJECT INFORMATION

NVB17001

PASSIVE COOLINGOPERABLE WINDOWS ALLOW PASSIVE COOLING & NIGHT VENTING OF STRUCTURE

LOW-E GLAZINGHIGH PERFORMANCE DOORS & WINDOWS REDUCE INTERIOR SOLAR HEAT GAIN

RADIANT HEATINGPROVIDES EFFICIENT SPACE HEATING THROUGH THE POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR

SOLAR SHADINGOVERHANGS PROVIDE SUN CONTROL & SHADING OF OUTDOOR AREAS

PV ARRAYINFRASTRUCTURE FOR FUTURE PHOTOVOLTAIC ARRAY

BUILDING ORIENTATIONPRIMARY VIEWS & WINDOWS ARE PROTECTED FROM THE SUN BY FACING NORTH

DAYLIGHTINGDAYLIGHTING IS MAXIMIZED v v LIGHT TO MEDIUM COLORED WALLS AND CEILINGS

NO MAINTENANCE MATERIALSWEATHERED STEEL & RAW CONCRETE REDUCE BUILDING MAINTENANCE & MAXIMIZE DURABILITY

DROUGHT TOLERANT LANDSCAPELOW-WATER USAGE INDIGENOUS PLANT PALETTE BLENDS WITH NATURAL SURROUNDINGS

INTERIOR FINISHESZERO-VOC PAINT, NATURAL WOOD FINISHES, ENERGY-STAR APPLIANCES, & LOW-FLOW PLUMBING FIXTURES

SUSTAINABILIT Y

NVB17001 MATERIALIT Y

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NVB17001 FLOOR PLAN-MAIN LEVEL

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11 16

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2 7

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12 17

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13 18

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ENTRY MUD ROOM LAUNDRY OFFICE

DINING OFFICE POWDER ROOM UTILITY

LIVING MASTER BEDROOM GUEST LIVING ROOM DECK

KITCHEN MASTER BATHROOM GUEST BEDROOM

PANTRY MASTER CLOSET GUEST BATHROOM

NVB17001 FLOOR PLAN-LOWER LEVEL

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1

2

2

3

3

GARAGE

MECHANICAL

ARROYO

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