Tresarca | assemblageSTUDIO

1. What was the house/land like before this project?

Property was a vacant residential parcel within the gated community.

2. What was the client’s brief for the project/what was important to them in this process?

3. Who were the clients (names are not required)? How many family members? Are there young children? How old are the homeowners?

Owners have a young daughter at home (3 family members).

4. Please describe the body of work completed (please include number of bedrooms, bathrooms etc).

4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 3 Powder Rooms, Great Room, Office, Gym, Entertaining Room, Media Room, Wine Room, Family Room, 5 Car Garage, Roof Deck, 4 Exterior Courtyards, Pool

5. What was the purpose of the body of work? (Family home, holiday home, retirement retreat, need for a change).

Primary Family Home

6. What were some of the special design considerations of the project? Were there any major obstacles that you needed to overcome?

Design simplification is often misunderstood, but the richness lie’s in exactly that ... the simplification of forms and materials. They are not verbose, over done or processing add-ons for the stake of add-ons. The forms represent a simple life, not one adorned with the glitz and glamour favored by the gaming establishments of this valley or the large over done homes that line our streets, but one in which every detail matters. Building upon eachother until they come together in the piece de resistance - the mesh screen.

The materials are kept clean and to a minimum. Continuous from exterior to interior they enable the life of the family to be what is cherished. It is with their activities that the design becomes a home.

The entry sequence begins with a formal drought tolerant landscape designed for seasonal change with signature object trees spread throughout the front yard. Upon passage through the secure entry gate one encounters the first court. Shaded by the structure above, the court is able to employ a new landscape variety, more lush than the entry. The landscape contributes to the cooling of the space.

The actual "front door" is through a small crevice in the main mass. Marked by the floor to ceiling glass wall which highlights the main staircase, the door is encountered by following the change in paving material.

7. What was your inspiration for the design?

The Mojave landscape maintains an inherent beauty of textures, stratifications and materials as well as protected oasis' of color brought to life under the play of shadow patterns of a harsh sun. These environmental realities can be used as inspiration for design to create a sense of place and character regionalism.

At Tresarca, the materials develop a layering of mass as you move from the basement to the private realm. Each layer is representational of the stratification of the nearby Red Rock Mountains. Changing of materials provide the variety of textures associated with the rock formations. Crevices between the mass' form oasis where landscape and water cool the space. The mesh screen provides both a protection from the harsh sun on the interior spaces and a play of shadows among the forms.

8. Why were particular colours/materials used? What kind of atmosphere were you aiming to create?

Materials were chosen to carry forth the concept of the house. Materials were desired to have that hand made look…fabrication of the wire mesh, hand crafted stone and wood elements, sho sugi wood walls...colours were selected to present an unification of feel to the natural environment.

9. What is your favourite part of the designed/renovated/built space?

The true center of the home lies in the great room. It is the centralizing connector to the other spaces of the home, the area that the family comes together in, entertains in and basically conducts the family business.

Materials have been interwoven from the exterior to the interior to form a continuous interplay and extension of space. Space is perceived past the physical barriers of the room. The collage of forms create overlapping exterior courts accessible through fully retractable door systems. The great room has the potential to act as a pass-through. The space grounds the residence but also enables movement through the space to all the other interlinked aspects of the home; pool house, private bedrooms, lower level, multiple courts and the pool deck.

The space is designed around a family way of life. It is the heart of the home.

10. What environmental considerations are there in the design? Have any special materials/environmentally friendly products/designs been implemented?

The mesh screen provides both a protection from the harsh sun on the interior spaces and a play of shadows among the forms. An analysis of the desert floor and nearby red rock mountain formations gave inspiration to the mesh screen. The screen form became an important juxtaposition to the simple rectilinear forms hidden beyond.

11. Why is this project special? What sets it apart from other projects? Why does it deserve mention?

Blurring of the line between inside and out has been established throughout this home. Space is not determined by the enclosure but through a new idea of space extending past perceived barriers into an expanded form of living indoor and out. Even in this harsh environment, one is able to enjoy this concept through the development of exterior courts which are designed to shade and protect. Reminiscent of the crevices found in our rock formations where one often finds oasis of life in this environment.

12. Were there any particularly memorable moments throughout the project process? Any funny/interesting stories are welcome.

13. If there is anything else you would like to add, please let us know:

Nevada is a state of two worlds, one the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip which seeks to transplant imagery from around the world to memorize the minds of 40 million tourists and the other a rural lifestyle which develops its architectural forms from materials on hand. Their forms represent function over form where the Strip imagery is entirely devoted to form. Materials are manmade, derived from the earth not lathered with implied memories of a distant land environmentally insensitive to the Mojave Desert.

If we are to develop an architectural form which represents this specific environment we must understand how those in rural Nevada designed to connect to their land. We need to understand their handling of materials and forms which will allow us to create a sustainable architecture for Las Vegas that doesn't rely on advanced technologies but on a passive approach to design which respects this place.

Tresarca has been developed around a simple expression of forms and materials. Separated into functions, the forms create opportunities for protected courtyards, cross circulation within all the spaces and the penetration of indirect natural light. Glamour and glitz have been substituted with meaningful purpose.

1. FLOORING: Marble Feather Grey from Tuscany Collection, Strand Bamboo by Natures Element

2. WALLS: Blackened Steel Panels by JD Stairs

3. KITCHEN MATERIALS +FITTINGS: Bulthaup Cabinets, Kohler fixtures, appliances: Miele, Viking, Sub Zero

4. SANITARY FIXTURES + BATHROOM FITTINGS: Kohler fixtures

5. LIGHTING: Viabizzuno, Feature Chandelier by Annika Newell,

6. WINDOWS + EXTERNAL DOORS: Fleetwood/ Sawbuck

7. OUTDOOR: Wire Mesh – Western Group, JD Stairs; Lighting – Nevada Sales