10.30.2020 | DIGS.NET 55
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The project exploits and explores
a relationship to worlds both
immediate and distant; it's allied
to the land yet has a celestial
connection to the heavens to
which it sits in observation.
edge pool located at the west end of the courtyard, meanwhile, extends this view and
brings reflection into the fold.
Tubac House is perhaps best understood as a study in contrasts. "The coarseness
of the rough steel exterior contrasts with the refinement of the interior palette," explains
the studio, adding "protruding steel box window forms frame specific views of lightning
storms and numerous iconic distant mountain forms or 'Sky Islands' as we Sonoran
Desert dwellers call them." That the structure seems to grow organically from the ochre-
hued hills is a credit to its weathered edifice—"like some rusted artifacts from a cowboy
camp," as the studio puts it. The roughhewn components of the project highlight the
toned-down elements of the interior: white plaster, stainless steel, maple and translucent
glass. Along with standard cooling systems, the house also features cross ventilation
and polished concrete flooring. Finally, cast-in-place form finish concrete retaining walls
evoke a signature of Mexican architect Luis Barragán.
As a window into Rick Joy himself, Tubac House speaks to an architect both informed
and affected by place and atmosphere. It's clear that Joy thrills to a sense of discovery
born from an architecture of slow, nuanced observation. Tubac
House, then, is foremost a vision. studiorickjoy.com
(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
LEFT) THE INTERIOR
OF THE HOUSE IS A
MINIMALIST REFLECTION
OF THE NATURAL WORLD;
WEATHERED STEEL WAS
CHOSEN FOR ITS RUSTED,
ROUGHHEWN EFFECT;
WHITE PLASTER, MAPLE
AND TRANSLUCENT GLASS
MAKES FOR A TONED-
DOWN INTERIOR; THE
LANDSCAPE REFLECTS THE
DESERT SURROUNDINGS.
