TNT RESIDENCE NVU17214 1
PROJECT INFORMATION LOCATION: The site, located within a hillside community of custom residences, is at the peak of the McCullough mountain range in Henderson, Nevada. With elevations reaching over 3,000 feet, the vista offers panoramic views of both city and fauna, framing the famed Las Vegas Strip amongst the surrounding natural foothills. SCOPE: Our clients tasked us with full-service design, including architecture (plus engineering consultants), interior design, and the sourcing, procurement, and installation of all furniture, fixtures, and accessories for a 6,000 S.F. (livable) residence with a construction budget of $3,000,000. CHALLENGE: To create an environment that maintains an indoor and outdoor lifestyle, while managing privacy from adjoining lots and capturing the expansive city view. As world travelers, our clients have acquired an eclectic collection of art and artifacts and requested a residence with an interior that could invoke their luxury experiences, while the exterior, modestly blends in with the surrounding context. DESIGN: Inspiration for this project stemmed from traditional desert courtyard configurations, which effectively combine privacy and environmental control in hot, arid climates. From this grew three major concepts that shaped the residence: (1) the Lense to focus circulation and views; (2) the Garden to connect indoor and outdoor environments; and (3) the Veil to protect the gardens by controlling the sun, wind, light and views. NVU17214 TNT Residence 2
KEY DESIGN AND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES The floor plan is a series of volumes arranged to allow circulation to and from each volume of the house in a cinematic fashion. From point to point, the focus stays on internal and external views while responding to sculptural nodes and natural land forms about each axis. The building massing and low horizontal roof forms emphasizes the sites sweeping views, as well as the layered stepping rock walls of the surrounding landscape. The roof form allows constant, yet changing desert light (and air-flow) into the interior Garden volumes without any thermal transmission. The roof plane along the south, west, and east are low and extend outward to protect and provide shade to the Gardens; while the roof along the north angles up to focus and celebrate the skyline and city views. The residence s Gardens maintain privacy and protect their adjacent interior spaces from the harsh desert environment by providing a cooling microclimate for the adjacent rooms. The rooms contain glazing that can open up to each Garden area for individual manual control of passive cooling and heating. A series of staggered robust walls inspired by desert cacti form a protective Veil enclosing each Garden. These walls are composed of scored and polished CMU blocks, which have been locally sourced and are made of 80% recycled content. These blocks act as heat sinks absorbing the intense desert sun along the south and west facades of the residence. Additionally, they protect the gardens from the summer and winter winds which come from the west. The fins have been arranged in such a way as to provide view protection from adjacent lots into the Gardens, but allow air exchange and constant, but changing light in, as well as focused views out into the landscape. With each interior room having a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glazing opening to a Garden, the Veil structurally supports the roof overhang, while making up for the needed shear of the structural diaphragm. This allows the interior spaces to visually expand into the Gardens, promoting an indoor/outdoor lifestyle without environmental concerns. Additionally, privacy is maximized, and the rooms and Gardens are more compact and activated as opposed to what would otherwise be traditional interior loaded rooms built to the maximum edge of neighboring lot lines. The exterior pallet of materials is limited to wood at entry points, heavy gauge aluminum metal cladding along the roof fascias, and a ventilated rammed-earth like stone façade are all based on standard sizes and modulations, which align seamlessly with one another and with the buildings organization module of a 1 by 2 foot grid. These materials all contain high percentages of recycled content, are locally sourced, and reduce construction waste because of their standard modular sizes. NVU17214 TNT Residence 3
SUSTAINABILITY, INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, AND DIVERSION OF MATERIALS FROM THE WASTE STREAM Passive Solar Design - The design contains minimal south facing glazing and no west or east glazing that is directly exposed to the sun. Views, access to light, and air are enhanced because of the long roof overhangs and protective CMU walls surrounding the Gardens. The underside of the long overhangs are a thin coat stucco over DensGlass, painted white to reflect and bounce light deeper into the adjacent rooms off the Gardens. This passive design and daylighting strategy allows the interior rooms to have floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall operable glazing that can open to a cooling microclimate Garden without thermal transmission or glare. All windows and glass doors are double glazed, low E and contain ratings from the National Fenestration Rating Council that exceed the requirements in the ENERGY STAR for Homes. Additionally, daylighting at the Gardens significantly reduce artificial lighting demand, resulting in almost a 50% lighting energy savings. Building Envelope - All windows are operable and are protected from direct sun allowing for passive cooling and fresh air exchange. The massing utilizes a stone cladding system with an air cushion cavity for ventilation and greater thermal performance. The stone cladding is an inexpensive man-made product of locally sourced dirt, sand, and cement containing class C fly ash. The tiles are developed out of rammed-earth technology, where a soil-cement mix is poured into forms and compacted. Used throughout the residence, the stone does not hold onto dust and pollens that exacerbate allergies and are water-resistant and do not promote mold growth. Waste is reduced by modulating the walls (in plan and section) of the residence on a strict grid of 1 by 2 feet, which reduces the waste factor of cut tiles by more than 15%. To further improve the building s overall energy performance, the air to air heat exchange ventilation system contains multiple conditioning zones each with independent thermostatic controls. All duct runs are fully ducted and lengths are shortened by centrally locating the primary mechanical systems in a mechanical room above the ceiling with exhaust air to outdoors. This provides an automatic influx of fresh, HEPA-filtered air for occupant comfort and health. The enhanced exhaust and ventilation system exceeds ASHRAE Standards. Insulation with R values ranging from 20 to 50 are specified at the slab, attic, ceilings, and all walls (interior and exterior) to minimize heat transfer and thermal bridging. Structure - The structural framing of the residence utilizes Advanced Framing techniques that significantly reduce the demand for lumber and other materials, as well as the associated waste and embedded energy in the construction process. All wood in the building is non-tropical, reused or reclaimed, and/or certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Nontoxic Pest Control is used to minimize exposure to pesticides by treating all cellulosic structural material with a registered pesticide containing borates for preconstruction treatment. Site Design - Exterior hard surfaces materials are all light-colored, high-albedo or vegetation-covered hardscapes. Paving materials have a solar reflectance (SR) of at least 0.28. Storm water is managed with permeable paving, consisting of porous above-ground pavers made of locally recycled content and planting areas are enhanced with native plant material. Ultimately, water that falls on the site will be retained as much as possible to reduce urban run-off and help recharge the aquifer. Water - Water efficiency is maintained through monitoring and benchmarking water use over time. The design uses a whole-house water meter and filtration/ conditioning system which uses reclaimed water for landscape. A submeter monitors all irrigation system components at intervals of one hour and transmits data to an in-house display. All fixtures are WaterSense labeled with flow volumes ranging from 1.1 to 1.75 gallons per min. Hot water is distributed in multiple localized locations within the ceiling to minimize pipe length and maximize volume (which includes, all pipes, fittings, valves, meters, and manifolds) between the source of hot water and the termination of the fixture supply. Outdoor water consumption is reduced through a landscape design which only includes native and adapted regional plants. Dust and Pollen Reduction - Our clients indicated early on that they would enforce a strict no shoe policy in the home and requested a design that celebrated the process and elevated the experience for guests to remove their shoes upon entry. At each primary entryway from the outdoors, such as the Foyer, guests remove their shoes and store them in cabinets before entering the main residence. Additionally, a large custom designed white nylon decorative walk-off mat (which is removable for occasional cleaning) is integrated into the interior design at the foyer. Furniture - The furniture, fixtures, and accessories FF&A used in the design are all high-quality original vintage/repurposed pieces that provide great ergonomic comfort. Each item has been sourced from second-hand dealers within the region. NVU17214 TNT Residence 4
THE LENSE The site was chosen for its cinematic qualities and view of the entire Las Vegas Valley. The floor plan is a series of volumes arranged to allow circulation to and from each volume of the house in a cinematic fashion. From point to point, the focus stays on internal and external views while responding to sculptural nodes and natural land forms about each axis. NVU17214 TNT Residence 5
THE GARDEN SCULPTURAL FOCAL POINT The residence s Gardens maintain privacy and protect their adjacent interior spaces from the harsh desert environment by providing a cooling microclimate for the adjacent rooms. The rooms contain glazing that can open up to each Garden area for individual manual control of passive cooling and heating. NVU17214 TNT Residence 6
THE VEIL PROTECTION CONCEALMENT A series of staggered robust walls inspired by desert cacti form a protective Veil enclosing each Garden. These walls are composed of scored and polished CMU blocks, which have been locally sourced and are made of 80% recycled content. These blocks act as heat sinks absorbing the intense desert sun along the south and west facades of the residence. Additionally, they protect the gardens from the summer and winter winds which come from the west. The fins have been arranged in such a way as to provide view protection from adjacent lots into the Gardens, but allow air exchange and constant, but changing light in, as well as focused views out into the landscape. NVU17214 TNT Residence 7
THE SITE SITE ANALYSIS OVERLAY PLAN NVU17214 TNT Residence 8
INTERIOR VOLUMES GARDEN VOLUMES OPENINGS AT ROOF FUNCTIONALITY AND LUXURY INDOOR/OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE LIGHT AND SHADOW PLAY DESIGN ELEMENTS NVU17214 TNT Residence 9
LOUNGE SPA POOL ROOF BBQ GARDEN MASTER BEDROOM GREAT ROOM GUEST BEDROOM VEIL KITCHEN BAR MASTER BATH AND WARDROBE GARDEN VOLUMES MEDIA GARDEN PILATES FOYER LAUNDRY GUEST BEDROOM MASSING GARDEN GARAGE MOTOR COURT GUEST BEDROOM ENTRY GARDEN FLOOR AND SITE PLAN AXON NVU17214 TNT Residence 10
SOUTH ELEVATION EAST ELEVATION NVU17214 TNT Residence 11
NORTH ELEVATION WEST ELEVATION NVU17214 TNT Residence 12
EAST-WEST SECTION AT ENTRY GARDEN NORTH-SOUTH SECTION AT ENTRY GARDEN NVU17214 TNT Residence 13
FRONT ENTRY APPROACH FROM THE WEST NVU17214 TNT Residence 14
REAR VIEW FROM THE NORTH NVU17214 TNT Residence 15
EAST SIDE YARD ENTRANCE SOUTH EAST REAR YARD SOUTH WEST REAR YARD MASTER RETREAT NVU17214 TNT Residence 16
ENTRY GARDEN APPROACH NVU17214 TNT Residence 17
ENTRY GARDEN VIEW TO WEST NVU17214 TNT Residence 18
ENTRY FOYER NVU17214 TNT Residence 19
GREAT ROOM NVU17214 TNT Residence 20
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MASTER BEDROOM NVU17214 TNT Residence 22
MASTER BEDROOM AND POOL NVU17214 TNT Residence 23
MASTER BATHROOM AND WARDROBE NVU17214 TNT Residence 24
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GUEST BEDROOM AT SOUTHWEST GARDEN NVU17214 TNT Residence 26