Tom Gann purchased an incredible piece of land at the top of its own small mountain in Sedona. Access to the parcel would be quite an undertaking both in creating a grading plan and the construction cost. With use of extensive grading and retaining I was able to design a plan that would provide a driveway and parking that would meet code.

My client is a sculptor; he uses large blocks of granite in his work. He felt that a studio on a property, separate from his residence would be constructive to his creativity. I was commissioned to design a 3500 square foot studio. There would be some living facilities included, but the project was focused on his professional needs. The studio would have a specially designed roof system, to provide the strength to support a permeate hoist, to lift blocks of granite.

Mr. Gann wanted a passive solar building of natural sustainable materials. That was great for me, as I am such an environmentalist at heart. The style would be quite masculine and strong, with an arts and crafts influence. He would prefer the entry side of the home to be private and the other elevations to be mostly glass. This worked perfectly with the site and the solar orientation. Use of two curved walls of glass block, give light and privacy to the front elevation. The other elevations are mostly 12 foot high glass with large deep buttressed stone elements in between; to collect solar energy that distributes heat on winter evenings.

The deep overhangs of the copper roof, keep the sun off the glass and stone buttresses in the warmer months. A custom designed gutter system is integrated within the roof and is all but invisible. Collecting the rain and moving it to an underground tank for later use.

I love the design of the clear stories, the high vaulted ceilings and the radius copper roof sections. The stone elements that protrude through and above the roof are strong and whimsical both at the same time.