A new weekend getaway on large ranch in Brewster County, Texas. The ranch is largely flat desert terrain with the Chisos Mountains in the distance. The concept has four components: a large, flat roof to provide shade; rammed earth piers to anchor the building to the desert site; glass walls to visually allow the desert floor to pass through the structure, and a solid, rammed-earth “core” that contains the service spaces and serves as a visual counterpoint to the glass box.
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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Deep roof overhangs of exposed wood rafters over steel beams shade the glass walls, which open onto the pool deck. The rammed earth "core" in the background extends outside to house an outdoor kitchen. IMAGE: Sergio Bravo
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We chose rammed earth, using soil from the site, to "ground" the house to the site and become part of it. A long, solid, rammed-earth "core" runs through the glass pavilion and houses the secondary spaces: foyer, kitchen, bath, storage, and outdoor kitchen. Rammed earth piers hold up the roof and anchor the glass box to the ground literally and figuratively. The glass walls are sliding glass doors with operable clerestory windows for natural ventilation and access to the outdoors. IMAGE: Sergio Bravo
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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The design consists of a glass box that contains the main rooms -- living, eating, and sleeping, and a solid box that contains the service spaces -- Foyer, kitchen, bath, storage, and outdoor kitchen. The two forms intersect to create the house. The broad, flat roof can support solar panels or can be covered in vegetation and really blend into the site. IMAGE: Sergio Bravo
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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The kitchen sits at the intersection of the solid, rammed-earth box and the transparent, glass box. To its right is the foyer, and to its left is the bathroom. Image: Sergio Bravo
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Same view at dusk. IMAGE: Sergio Bravo
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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Bedroom opens onto a screened porch for bug-free outdoor living and sleeping. IMAGE: Sergio Bravo
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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IMAGE: SERGIO BRAVO
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Conceptual sketch showing the glass box that houses the eating, living, and sleeping areas, and the solid box that houses the secondary spaces. An expansive roof plane covers the whole and shades the extensive glass walls. Image: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
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Early sketch of a section through the glass box showing the support piers, in this case, stone. Image: Ignacio Salas-Humara AIA
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