The architect's concept was to snake stone walls through the existing mesquite and washes of a 10-acre desert site, capturing tranquil courts that awaken all the senses from the sound of running water to the smell of jasmine. One often overlooked but palpable aspect of the sensory experience is temperature control, which in the Sonoran desert can range from scorching summers to freezing winter nights.

 

While Stone Court Villa presents a tough yet honeycombed 3-inch thick skin of white Mexican travertine on its surface, an invisible filigree of capillary mats embedded in the ceilings above and a radiant temperature control system in the floor below channel the sap of life through slabs of concrete and plaster to maintain a quiet, constant and comfortable ambient temperature throughout the home.

 

The client also wanted freedom from the conventional hum of forced air for climate control. This type of home had only been attempted in Arizona once before by Dave Scheatzle, an ASU professor, architect and environmental control specialist who pioneered methods to achieve radiant cooling in the 1980s. The architect called us in to help because he knew that we’re obsessed with pushing boundaries in technique and technology. As we revisited Professor Scheatzle’s research nearly 30 years later, we were thrilled to tie all the systems together with smart technology that wasn’t readily available in the 80s. Sometimes good ideas just take patience to come to fruition.

 

“We like clients who are attracted to innovation,” says 180 Degrees Design + Build’s Principal Architect James Trahan AIA, who was also the construction and BIM modeling lead on the project. “Anyone can put flex duct in a room, but we’re driven by the thrill of innovation.”