New Mexico-based firm Archaeo has completed a low-slung home traversed by a bright red wall in the desert close to Santa Fe.

The contemporary home is designed to embrace its desert landscape and natural terrain of the Galisteo Basin Preserve, a residential development that focuses on sustainability and responsible land stewardship.

"There is a low lying horizontality to the adjacent topography," said Archaeo. "We intentionally wanted to express that in the architecture."

The home is sited on a 165-acre (67-hectare) desert plot interspersed with shrubs, facing the Galisteo Basin and mountains beyond. "A substantial portion of the property has been left in its natural state, just as it was found... and will remain," said Archaeo.
While the architects wanted to respond to the vernacular styles of New Mexico, they also wanted to build a modern home that would defer to the natural context. "The character of the home is distinctly contemporary, which accentuates and focuses attention on the organic features of the land," the studio said.

A cruciform plan organises the home. Communal spaces are located in the centre, which is where the main entrance is found.

Private sleeping quarters are arrayed around the core, providing the best vistas of the expansive landscape. "The architecture allows the views to the natural environment to dominate," said Archaeo.

The master suite on the southeast corner of the home includes a home g...