This gorgeous, albeit currently unbuilt, DNM Architecture-designed home recalls the beauty of 1950’s Desert Modern style and brings it to the 21st century with better design sustainability and higher energy efficiency. Originally designed for a technology executive, the 4,500 square foot custom home was meant to live at the end of a quiet cul–de–sac in Palm Springs with amazing mountain views all around. As the home remains in virtual form, many of the materials and finishing touches are still undetermined; the conceptual design choices, however, are as specific as they are detailed.
The roof’s dramatic form is a “cut and folded” plate that takes cues from the area’s renowned architectural style. From the front, the roof is a familiar Mid-Century Modern Gable design with long overhangs to protect the windows from the sun’s rays. Halfway to the back of the home, the roof morphs into a muscular butterfly form with a strongly expressed cantilevered beam that provides physical support and visual focus.
In terms of physical placement, the east-facing front of the home is relatively closed for privacy, while the western (rear) facade opens up to mountain views through a 27′ sliding glass pocket door. The floor-to-ceiling window-heavy design embraces the warm climate and creates a strong indoor-outdoor connection that pulls the picturesque mountains into the living space.
As designed, the home has 3 bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms, a media room, and modest two-car garage; but the heart of the home is the large, open living area that combines a spacious kitchen, dining, and living room. The floorplan unfolds around this ‘public area’ with the bedroom wing to the north, outdoor living to the west, and media room and garage to the south.
DNM Architecture performs energy use simulations and compliance calculations during the design process to insure immediate feedback and better decisions for both architectural design and energy savings. As such, this house is planned to be “net-zero.” It will generate as much power as it consumes, thanks to the butterfly roof’s discretely held 15-kwh solar array. Furthermore, to minimize energy consumption, the walls and roof will be highly insulated, while large overhangs and vertical fins have been specifically incorporated into the designed to protect the south, west, and east facing glass and interiors from the harsh desert sun.
The beautiful 1950’s-inspired Desert Modern design takes all the visual cues from the historical period of American architecture and merges them with today’s better sustainable and more energy efficient building techniques.