Shifted Horizon House: An Elegantly Austere Arizona Home by Darren Petrucci
Darren Petrucci, an architect and professor at Arizona State University, has finalized the Shifted Horizon House, a minimalist dwelling for a family of four situated near Phoenix, Arizona, with views of Camelback Mountain. The split-level structure is designed as a bent bar to enhance sightlines and incorporates concrete masonry unit (CMU) volumes along with stucco applied without control joints. Petrucci, also the head of A-I-R, focuses on sleek details and vibrant indoor-outdoor connections. Customized CMU blocks form a textured pattern, while the stucco adapts to the changing light. The home features a central area soaring 15 feet high, clerestory windows, and a 'wet edge' pool, with landscape design by Kris Floor of Floor Associates, serving as an experimental model for desert living.
Key facts
- Architect Darren Petrucci completed the Shifted Horizon House near Phoenix, Arizona.
- The home is designed for a family of four and faces Camelback Mountain.
- The iconic form is a long, bent bar that maximizes horizontal distance and becomes a ridge line.
- The house uses concrete masonry unit (CMU) and stucco as primary materials.
- The CMU block is customized with double-score profiles to create a textured pattern.
- Builder Jason Smith of Identity Construction collaborated on the project.
- The interior features dark polished concrete flooring and a 15-foot-high central space with clerestory windows.
- Landscape design is by Kris Floor of Floor Associates, based in Phoenix.
Entities
Artists
- Darren Petrucci
- John Lautner
- Jason Smith
- Kris Floor
Institutions
- A-I-R (Architecture-Infrastructure-Research)
- Arizona State University
- Identity Construction
- Floor Associates
Locations
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- Camelback Mountain
- United States