A Reflective, Floating Art Studio In Paradise Valley

In the suitably named Paradise Valley in Arizona, local architecture firm Chen and Suchart Studio has designed ‘Little Art Studio’, a mirrored and floating addition to an existing residence.

Designed to differentiate itself from the house that it belongs to, the ‘Little Art Studio’ stands as a sculptural addition at the edge of the home’s manicured courtyard. Clad in weathered steel, with full-height glazed windows and sliding doors, the studio has“The cladding is intended to complement, absorb, and reflect the existing residence’s landscape” been designed to settle into the surrounding landscape with minimal impact upon the land. All glass areas of the structure have been completed with a high thermal performing reflective insulated glazing. This allows for heat rejection, whilst offering the most reflection of the surrounding nature. “The combination of these two materials for the cladding is intended to complement, absorb and reflect the existing residence’s landscape,” the architects explain. Supported at six points by large concrete caissons, the structure appears to float, hovering above the red desert sand amongst the cacti, with views that extend to the Camelback Mountain. Inside, the open-plan space can be divided using three large moveable partitions, allowing its spatial arrangement to change according to the residents’ need.