House in the Desert of Arizona

The canals of Arizona, USA, built by indigenous inhabitants of these lands more than 2 thousand years ago and revived in the late 19th century, are the circulatory system of the Sonoran desert. Along one of these water arteries in the state capital of Phoenix, the house named Canal House was built, designed by The Ranch Mine studio.

Similar to their historical prototypes, the house is organized around internal courtyards, which provide additional living spaces at different times of the day depending on the sun's position. The most shaded area is the dining inner courtyard with two young pistachio trees growing in it, whose leaf color changes from green to bright red, signaling the arrival of the cold season.

The main accent in the central inner courtyard is a large outdoor fireplace clad in weathered steel, separating the wing of the house with social areas from the wing with sleeping zones.

The open-plan living room features a high gabled ceiling clad in Douglas fir timber. Solid wooden front doors, handmade ceramic tile inserts, and rough concrete floors with visible joints give the house its unique local character.