US studio The Ranch Mine has completed a house in Arizona clad in wood and weathering steel that includes a tall volume that can "serve as a sentinel for potential forest fires".
Called Malapai Tower House, the family residence is set within a ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona, near the mountain town of Flagstaff.
Malapai Tower House is a home in northern Arizona
A goal for the design team was to create a home that achieves "harmonious symbiosis with the lush wilderness".
"It serves as a conduit between civilization and the wild, uniting the comforts of home with the untamed beauty of the natural world," said The Ranch Mine, which is based in Phoenix.
The Ranch Mine perched the property on a hillcrest
Accessed via a long and windy dirt road, the home is perched on a hillcrest and rests within a flat clearing dotted with volcanic rock. The project's name, Malapai Tower House, is derived from the Spanish term "malpaís", which loosely means bad terrain and often refers to land with eroded volcanic rock.
Several gabled volumes and a rectangular lookout tower make up the plan
Roughly L-shaped in plan, the home consists of several gabled volumes and a rectangular tower.
The tall volume has a dominating presence and is the first part of the home to become visible upon approach. Within the tower, occupants can survey the terrain.
The tower provides an elevated lookout
"The three-storey tower provides an elevated lookout, allowin...