Client Brief:
This project was our first "spec" or speculative house and we wanted to do something different in the valley, to show that a modern house didn't have to just be a shiny box. We wanted to use the proven climate successful Southwest courtyard style layout, and combine a simple, low maintenance exterior with an organic and warm interior.
Location:
The site is on an irregular lot along the Arizona Canal, part of the ancient water system that still sustains the city. The design needed to address harsh desert sun, provide shaded outdoor rooms, and highlight the canal as both history and amenity.
Design Solution:
The house was pushed to the edges of its setbacks to maximize outdoor space and form courtyards with different orientations. The kitchen opens to a shaded dining court. A central courtyard, anchored by a rusted steel fireplace, separates living and sleeping wings. A smaller entry courtyard creates a quiet threshold between garage and house.
The design references southern Arizona missions through form and material: a rusted corrugated roof echoing clay tile, and an elevation pattern of white and adobe reminiscent of San Xavier del Bac. Custom steel panels shade the great room doors, patterned with house-shaped cutouts that filter light and extend the theme of shelter.
Result:
Canal House reinterprets mission architecture for modern desert living. It connects daily life to a sequence of courtyards while drawing attention back to the canal, a resource too often overlooked in Phoenix.
