La Luz Community
Albuquerque, New Mexico
La Luz means 'the light.' The site is bathed in high altitude light and sits on a semi-arid mesa above the west bank of the Rio Grande. This community of townhouses retreats to the higher ground, optimizing the views east to the Sandia Mountains, while preserving 200 acres of flood plane. Following the contours of the mesa, the units step down the slope; this stepped section allows views toward the adjacent river and distant peaks. But the primary motivation for the siting of the project involved a fundamental attitude toward the land: that an urban environment can and should coexist with open, natural areas, especially in New Mexico; that natural patterns should be recognized and reinforced.
Rio Grande Nature Center
Albuquerque, New Mexico
In the American wild west, the usurpation of nature has become a given, making this assemblage of a large area of wildfowl habitat within the Albuquerque city limits remarkable. This site, on a major migratory flyway, is a 160 acre center for wildfowl-sandhill cranes, snow geese, even an occasional endangered whooping crane. The building can be thought of as a permanent viewing blind set up with controlled apertures offering specific views of the wildlife in its natural habitat.
Troy House
Taos, New Mexico
The house rises like a mountain peak emerging from the surrounding high plateau. This new formation, the Troy residence recalls literally the slopes of the nearby mountains.
Zuber House
Phoenix, Arizona
This house is on the south-facing
slope of Mummy Mountain. From that vantage point is a sweeping
view of the valley Phoenix occupies. Camelback Mountain
appears as an island in the valley. The house backs into
Mummy Mountain, anchoring the house within it. Water from
deep within the mountain issues forth.
Rosenthal House
Manhattan Beach, California
The quality of light in Los Angeles is defined by the merging of the sea and sky. The aqua cast of the houseís glass, trim, and stucco reinforces this quality. The upper level of the house, the sleeping lantern, glows delicately at night. Translucent floor to ceiling sliding glass panels can, in different combinations, change the color and ambiance of the space within, creating different degrees of translucency from transparent to a dense, rich aqua.
Las Vegas Library and
Children's Museum
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is a crossroads city. The Spanish trail that connects Las Vegas with New Mexico. The most recent historic trail which passes through Las Vegas is the Mormon Trail, which links the west coast, via San Bernadino, to Salt Lake City. The trails converge at a natural spring in the northern part of Las Vegas. The site for the library is adjacent and thus has a strong relationship to the earliest settlements. The library building is also a crossroads building. Its angular alignment receives oncoming visitors in ways that recall the original convergence of trails.
