INSPIRATION + METAPHOR
What from the desert can inspire us and best represent what we plan to do on this site?
I love to design using metaphors. They enable design to be fun and help clients make their project even more personal. Sometimes metaphors are an object. Other times, they are a phrase. Not only do I find them inspiring and directional, but also a great way to engage people, solicit reactions, find personal connections, and provoke thoughts. When searching for a metaphor, I do my best to be patient. The early process of design brings research, site exploration, client interaction and many other opportunities for the best metaphor to present itself.
After several months of design, I have found our metaphor –
the GECKO
As an ectotherm, the gecko produces minimal heat in its body, which is necessary for survival in the desert. The home design also needs to produce and absorb a minimal amount of heat, using the least amount of energy to cool spaces to make a comfortable environment.
Native Americans consider the presence of geckos a sign of good luck, symbolizing rebirth, renewal, transformation, health, fortune and poise.
- Rebirth + Renewal: This home represents a rebirth and renewal for all four of us. Sandi and I are fully embracing our new chapter of life, post Des Moines and Slingshot. Joe and Sandy are embarking on their new journey, in Arizona living, with their daughter and son-in-law.
- Health: Living adjacent to mountain trails, with extended family, and outside the large, congested city of Phoenix, we believe our health will improve.
- Fortune: This home is an opportunity to design and build a custom home at a responsible and reasonable cost. This will allow our investment to have immediate equity & grow in value over time.
- Transformation: This home has the opportunity to change how people perceive living with extended family.
- Poise: If you have ever seen a gecko basking in the sun on a rock or wall, you see a creature with great poise. The design of the home and especially the undulating roof form emulate a poised object below the base of the Superstition Mountains.
I knew the gecko was the right metaphor because of Sandi’s love for geckos. Early in our marriage, she enjoyed watching geckos on the back fence wall. To this day, she always stops to enjoy a gecko lumbering along or basking in the sun. Our new home is called “the GECKO”.
DESIGN DRIVERS
Drivers inform design ideas and focus the solutions to solve project and site specific goals and needs.
TWO HOMES: Create two independent, yet interconnected homes.
SITING: Be responsive to the attributes of the site.
DESERT BEAUTY: Embrace and honor the desert.
CLIMATE: Use climate responsive techniques to overcome the heat and sunshine.
STRUCTURE: Build simple and straightforward.
BUDGET: Be responsible and spend strategically
FORM + DIAGRAM
What form and space relationships can be created from the Drivers? What will inspire us?
The house form diagrams are a response to all the drivers. The two most important to Sandi, Sandy, and Joe are the Two Homes Driver and Budget Driver because of the following questions:
- How do we not overspend on this project?
- How do we all happily cohabitate?
- How do we enrich our living?
- How do we not feel like we are staying at someone else’s home?
Both homes need to be physically and symbolically treated equal. I envision the undulating sloping roof as a gathering form for both homes, punctuated with a powerful crescendo moment at both living and eating areas. Think of an arm or body embracing and holding us all together, reminiscent of a gecko peacefully and majestically resting on a rock. The diagrams and form also respond well to Siting, Desert Beauty, Climate and Structure. The home will be respectfully placed on the site, nestled into the native landscape and existing wash. It will be built with simple trusses, conventional wood-framed and masonry walls, and fully open to the north to maximize our views of the majestic Superstition Mountains. The concern about Budget is yet to be overcome, but I believe we are on the right path. As we move forward into floor planning, 3d form, and materiality, I will gather early pricing and then push to a full bid set.
