Big Top With Solar Powered Home - The Dream House For A Young Family in Phoenix, Arizona

After a decade of trying to adapt their lives to the confines of a house that couldn’t meet their needs, a young family purchased a vacant lot at the base of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona. The lot had a mountain view but came with a concave property line that narrowed the allowable building depth in the middle of the long lot to just 20 feet. This challenge prompted the homeowners to look for an architecture firm with the ambition to be unique and will engage the family in the creative process, ultimately leading them to The Ranch Mine, an architecture firm they had met 5 years earlier at a social entrepreneur incubator. The design started with a large tilts up and cantilevers towards Camelback Mountain, framing views, capturing breezes, and creating a continuous link between the front porch, great room, and rear covered patio through 3 different pocketing glass doors. This roof became known as “Big Top”, a nod to the idea that family life can often feel like a circus under one roof. Th