CAMPOAMOR ARCHITECTS

Abiquiu

2006 ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

SAN FRANCISCO CHAPTER

An artist's studio and residence in Abiquiu, New Mexico. High desert, about 6,000 feet above sea level. The program called for a passive solar building consisting of a workshop and dwelling as a first phase, and a residence as a second.

The client - an artist whose work bridges a variety of media and contexts - states her predilections in an early letter: "Clearly passive solar, water conservation and other ecological concerns are on my mind, but so are simplicity, function, as well as an interest in incorporating traditional details, possibly in unexpected ways."

2006 ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY AWARDAMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTSSAN FRANCISCO CHAPTERAn artist's studio and residence in Abiquiu, New Mexico. High desert, about 6,000 feet above sea level. The program called for a passive solar building consisting of a workshop and dwelling as a first phase, and a residence as a second. The client - an artist whose work bridges a variety of media and contexts - states her predilections in an early letter: "Clearly passive solar, water conservation and other ecological concerns are on my mind, but so are simplicity, function, as well as an interest in incorporating traditional details, possibly in unexpected ways."
   
Dining room in winter light, looking out over the valley.
   
The interior of the first-phase dwelling is compact but light-filled. A bedroom loft over kitchen and bathroom is open to the living/dining space below.
     
  
   
The site is a promontory above the Chama River Valley, which arcs gently to the south, opening up long views to Cerro Pedernal - the spiritual center of the region - to the southwest; and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above Santa Fe to the southeast.
   
The design draws inspiration from the Anasazi cliff dwellings' typical strategy of backing into a cliff face and gently cupping the sun exposure. The cliff overhang provides shade in summer and allows sun penetration in winter.
     
  
   
  
The building is sited along a ridge which runs east-west. A retaining wall stretches along the ridge. A break in the wall provides a separation between the studio and residence and a path of entry down onto a sculpture patio. The south facade cups the patio, reflecting the arc of the valley and inflecting the east and west facades towards the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Cerro Pedernal.
     
  
   
The south facade consists of deep flange columns, portales and recessed glazing, creating shade in summer and allowing sun penetration onto the insulated concrete slab in winter.
   
Clerestory windows along the north facade provide ample, even illumination and cross-ventilation in summer.
     
  
The building is bermed 6 feet on the north. Nearly constant ground temperature helps maintain even, comfortable temperatures inside the building year-round.
   
  
     
  
Materials are predominantly local: adobe within a reinforced concrete structural frame, pumice for under-slab insulation, and rough-sawn douglas fir. The roof trusses are made of twin 2x10s flanking a steel strut and tension chord. Spanning increasing distances between straight and curved tie beams, the roof surface takes on a subtle warp.
   
The lightness of the roof, separated from the walls by glazing along most of its perimeter, is in counterpoint to the rootedness and density of the walls.