pavilion for the Paton Center for Hummingbirds run by the Tucson Audubon Society. The region shifts between the Oak Grassland and Woodlands ecosystems, and is located in the valley between the Santa Rita Mountains and the Patagonia Mountains. The pavilion’s backyard is essentially the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. The watershed of Sonoita Creek is one of the few remaining permanent streams in one of the richest riparian habitats in the region. The floodplain consists of Fremont Cottonwoods, Arizona Black Walnut, Velvet Mesquite, Velvet Ash, Netleaf Hackberry, various Willows, and Oaks. Since the property is located in the floodplain, the caretaker house, built in 1915, was situated on an elevated berm that separated it from the adjacent creek and floodplain. Tucson Audubon Society has been working on regenerating the site with native species, pollinators, and restoration to the creek’s edge. In regard to the placement of the pavilion, the decision was made to reclaim and regenerate that specific part of the property and attempt to return it to the level of the floodplain to the Southwest, just beyond the property.
Tucson Mountain Retreat by DUST. Photo by Bill Timmerman.
Tucson Mountain Retreat by DUST. Photo by Bill Timmerman.
Approach to Casa Caldera, DUST. Photo by Cade Hayes.
A path gradually descends down two feet to the pavilion pad. The pavilion measures forty-two feet long by fourteen feet wide, and is comprised of three steel columns supporting a central beam made of laminated White Oak. The tapered rafters are dual cantilevered three by twelve-inch solid White Oak. The roof shade structure consists of sixteen-gauge steel ribbons and twists to deliver rainwater to two low points of drainage. Strategically designed catch basins were planned, excavated and planted to harvest and slow down the water runoff. The reward is a regeneration of grasses and pollinator plants to attract and provide food for the birds in the community while offering the viewer a natural stage back drop for hummingbird observation. Over 120 tons of soil had been cut and filled or donated to local residents to connect back to the floodplain and harvest the water. The site work was completed in February 2017 as part of the first phase to ensure usability of the site during birding season. Planting is currently underway to allow a monsoon season to help initiate the regeneration of the site work and basins. The structural components are projected to be completed in Fall 2017 after the peak birding and monsoon seasons.
Zaguan looking West, Casa Caldera, DUST. Photo by Jeff Goldberg.
Baja Arizona Map. Image courtesy of DUST.
Our next commission, Casa Caldera, was completed in the winter of 2015. The house is located in the high desert grasslands of Baja, Arizona, in the valley that contains the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River. It is a region rich in cultural history including hunter gatherers and conquistadors, Apaches, cowboys, migrants, narcotrafficantes, and conservationists. It is a region with roots in social, political, economic, and environmental issues, including human and drug trafficking, conservation, restoration, mining, cattle ranching, and agriculture, to name a few. The landscape is a lab for watershed and habitat restoration, native plant propagation, and preservation of wildlife corridors.
reclusive quality. Nestled on a westward facing slope amongst the Emory Oaks and Manzanitas, the design offers a quality or refuge as it is protected from outside visibility. In addition, the design exploits the prospect views toward the San Rafael Valley and the Patagonia Mountains to the West.
Pre-industrial age dwellings of the region, ranch houses and Zaguan houses, served as our precedent. A new vernacular material replaced the adobe brick with lava aggregate walls called scoria. Given the proximity to the border, the house took on a defensive and
With each project, there is a sensitivity and mindfulness to the environments and habitats that we are impacting and displacing. The ecosystem is affected by our habitation, and adapts to it. Our survival may depend on our ability to adapt and our potential to regenerate a healthy relationship to the land and the diverse communities that support our being.
This house is completely off-grid, relying on a two-kilowatt solar skid for minimal electrical consumption, a well for water, wood fuel for heat, and natural ventilation for cooling. Thermal mass and passive heating and cooling strategies bolster its effectiveness. Rainwater is harvested and distributed to a grove of young Oak trees to the Northwest, which naturally fends off the late summer sun. Located in the same region as Casa Caldera, fifteen miles to the West in the town of Patagonia, Arizona, is da project currently under construction. It will be a Rendering of Hummingbird Pavilion for Tucson Audubon Society, in progress. Image courtesy of DUST.
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