![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
Imbue Design has completed a desert home where the owners could put up their feet and relax in the natural desert landscape of Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
The home was designed in such a way as to disrupt the land as little as possible. With that in mind, the designers positioned the structure to gently rest near the base of a bluff, at the seam where rock and vegetation meet. This helped to minimize the visual impact from afar while maintaining spectacular views from the interior.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
Using rugged materials that reflect the desert fabric, like weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar, the structure naturally blends in and ages with its surroundings.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
The simple form is made up of two volumes that are capped by shed roofs and married by clerestory windows.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
Outdoor spaces flank every side of the structure, with the living room spilling out onto a floating observation deck overlooking the distant view.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
The kitchen opens onto a patio carved directly into the sandstone, and the bedrooms share an elevated outdoor tub for bathing under the stars.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
To withstand the harsh desert climate and its drastic temperature swings, the retreat employs several passive energy strategies, including calculated overhangs for shading, thermal mass as a heat sink, and strategically placed operable windows for cross-ventilation cooling.
![A modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
Here’s a look at the elevations, site plan, and floor plan.
![The site plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
![The elevation plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
![The elevation plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
![The elevation plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
![The elevation plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
![The floor plan of a modern desert home that features weathering steel, split-face concrete block, and cedar.](https://ad-c.org/wp-content/plugins/wp-fastest-cache-premium/pro/images/blank.gif)
Photography by Imbue Design | Design: Imbue Design | Project Lead: Christopher Talvy
Source: Contemporist