O-asis House, The “O” Shaped Solar-Powered Home in the Arizona Desert

Nestled on the north side of the Phoenix mountain preserve sits a once neglected and underutilized site in a horse property neighborhood, now transformed into a secluded native habitat and respite from city life. ‘O-asis’ is a new, solar-powered home designed by Phoenix-based architecture firm The Ranch Mine. The ‘O’ shaped smart home was designed to integrate modern life with the timeless beauty of music, sunlight, and desert flora and fauna. ‘O-asis’ sits low in the desert at just 12.5 feet tall, partially surrounded by a rusted steel rattlesnake fence and finished in white stucco with recessed niches of Ipe wood. Its strong horizontal form was designed as a datum for highlighting the dramatic shapes of the desert landscape. The pool breaks from the ‘O’ shaped plan, drawing you out into the desert towards the mountain views to the south, and is capped by a built-in fire pit bench, a perfect place to catch some sun during the day or layout under the stars at night. The landscape is an elevated