Daniel Joseph Chenin Design a Sustainable Desert Home

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a sustainable desert home design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Daniel Joseph Chenin.

Perched atop a rocky outcropping with views to surrounding canyons, Fort 137 was designed as a sustainable home using passive and active strategies. Large, operable fenestrations on the north and south facades extend the living space beyond the architectural perimeter and provide cross-ventilation and daylighting, along with expansive views. Louvered roof overhangs minimise heat gain during summer months while allowing natural light to permeate in the winter. Thick stone clad walls regulate thermal transmission.

What was the client's brief? 

There wasn’t a brief, so to speak, or a strong directive from our clients, but through our pre-design conversations, we learned our client’s priorities which included sustainability, generous space for family connections, and integration with the surrounding natural environment.

What inspired the design of the project?

The client’s site sits at the most remote edge of the Las Vegas Valley, with unobstructed views of the surround federally protected desert and canyons. This intentionally remote location, coupled with our client’s desire to be immersed in the landscape with an environmentally conscious home, served as our inspiration. The ‘Old Mormon Fort’, one of the oldest remaining structures from Las Vegas’ early settlement days, immediately came to mind. Dating back to the 1800s, this historic structure serves as a case study on passive design for the desert. With thick walls, comprised of regional stone, deep-set fenestration, trellis shade structures, and a courtyard configuration, Fort 137 reclaims the vernacular architecture of the American frontier. The exterior material palette is compatible with the contextual desert environment and is terraced into the hillside, appearing to emerge from the rock-strewn desert.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

At first glance, the undeveloped site presented a challenge. While situated on a hillside, the site itself was in a crest that blocked many of the views of Red Rock Canyon that our clients wanted to capture. Recognising the importance of the views and sightlines, our design elevated portions of the home by 1.5 meters through a subtle grading approach. Ultimately, we were able to deliver the spectacular desert views that originally drew our clients to the site with no steps or level changes inside the residence.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The entry rotunda is one of the stand-out elements of the design. It is the lone round element in an otherwise orthogonal structure, so it an anomaly from a form perspective, but it is even more unique functionally and conceptually. Outwardly unassuming, the cylindrical volume acts as a point of reflection and transition. A bubbling water feature located at the center of the darkened space transports visitors from the fast-paced world outside with the sounds and smells of a desert monsoon rain. The portal serves as palette cleanser of sorts, setting the scene for this modern interpretation of a fort.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

The SBID Awards is an opportunity to showcase our designs to an international audience along with a highly respected panel of judges representing a cross section of the industry.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

As a designer, it is always extremely gratifying to have your work recognised by peers and industry leaders alike. My team and I invest so much of ourselves in our projects - each of which take years to bring to fruition. We are grateful and honored to be an SBID Award Finalist.

Questions answered by Daniel Chenin, Founder of Daniel Joseph Chenin.