This modern ridgetop house in Santa Fe, designed by Specht Architects, is organized around two perpendicular board-formed concrete walls. The walls are an element of continuity, linking interior and exterior spaces and the landscape beyond. A narrow skylight runs the entire 125’ length of one of the walls, casting changing shadows on the rough concrete over the span of the day.
The front of the house is set deeply into the earth. You enter through a recessed courtyard and into a cool, private vestibule. An opening cut into one of the concrete walls then leads you into the main body of the house, where panoramic views of the Sangre de Christos mountains are revealed. Although there are large expanses of glass, they are all deeply shaded by cantilevered roof forms that create porches around the perimeter.
The house enhances a feeling of connection to the site, both physically, and temporally, and provides a true sense of shelter.
Specht has been named as a “Top 100” architect by New York Magazine, and one of the “50 up and coming firms from around the world” by Wallpaper* magazine. Scott Specht also recently gave a TEDx talk about the future of housing in the United States.
Photography by Taggart Sorensen.
