Rock Reach House is featured in the April '10 issue of dwell magazine
Click on the image above
Rock Reach House is the first home utilizing the Blue Sky Building SystemTM. It was built in the Southern California desert community of Yucca Valley.Rock Reach House was completed in eight weeks, and we expect that future homes of this design will be finished in approximately six weeks (once footings are in place).
The 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom house was designed by the innovative Palm Springs firm o2 Architecture to maximize both the benefits of the Blue Sky Building System and the house’s spectacular location at 4,000 feet above sea level amid massive weathered boulders and ancient piñon and juniper trees.
To grade a traditional home pad here would have irreparably damaged this beautiful site.But the Blue Sky Building System allows the house to float above the rugged terrain on six columns.Those columns are anchored to small, hand-dug concrete footings.The landscape was left largely untouched.Indeed, a small seasonal stream passes beneath the house in rainy weather.
Rock Reach House – like the system itself – is all about steel.The only wood in the entire house is found in cabinetry and a couple of interior doors.
Click on one of the images above to see a photo gallery of Rock Reach House.
Interested in renting the Rock Reach House? Find out more information here.
Rock Reach House Project Team
Architecture–o2 Architecture is a respected Palm Springs, California-based architecture firm known for its rigorous environmentally crafted modernist designs for a range of residential, commercial and institutional projects. The firm, which is headed by Lance O’Donnell, AIA, and Project Architect Martin Brunner, is dedicated to discovering the essence of place.
Lance O’Donnell grew up in the Coachella Valley and returned to the valley after earning his undergraduate architectural degree from Cal State San Luis Obispo and his master of architecture from UCLA. In addition to leading o2, Lance teaches architecture and sustainability at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert and at Cal Poly Pomona. For the past 10 years he has held a seat on the Palm Springs Architectural Review Board. He has received a number of professional awards and honors.
Project Architect Martin Brunner has 20 years of professional experience in both Europe and the U.S. Other contributors in the o2 office include Marco Garcia, Stephen Gardner, Ryan Lamb, Regina Basterrechea and Sergio Aguillar.
Engineering and Steel Fabrication –FCP, Inc. is a leading designer and manufacturer of modular buildings, mezzanines and specialized structures for industrial and commercial applications. FCP products also include support platforms, metal buildings, canopies, and stair systems. Barret Hilzer, Chief Operating Officer, led FCP's work on Rock Reach House.
The company has been a leader in the design, engineering, development and construction of high quality steel building products for over 25 years. FCP in-house system designers and engineers take great pride in utilizing the latest CAD equipment to devise creative solutions that meet challenging applications.
Wall Panels – Accelerated Building Technologies, LLC.was created as a joint venture by Dietrich Metal Framing (a Worthington Industries company) and Nova Chemicals Corporation to develop cost-effective building technologies that improve building quality, performance and value – while streamlining and simplifying the building process.
Rock Reach House utilizes the company's accel-ETM Steel Thermal Efficient Panels which are strong, lightweight and energy efficient. The panels marry the strength of light-gauge steel with the insulating qualities of expanded polystyrene. Accelerated is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania (just outside of Pittsburgh).
General Contractor–Solterra Development is a progressive residential and commercial builder based in Palm Springs. Under the leadership of principal Michael Flannery the firm has developed a reputation for its environmentally sustainable projects, cost-conscious results and industry innovation. Solterra is an active participant in the US Green Building Council and built one of Palm Spring’s first LEED-qualified residential projects.
The firm has worked with Blue Sky Homes from the beginning as the lead building consultant charged with determining how best to implement desired innovations in real-world construction settings.
Interior Design– Christopher Kennedy Design is a leading design firm in the Coachella Valley. Led by Christopher Kennedy, Allied ASID, the firm has become known for its sophisticated and eco-friendly interior design work. Christopher Kennedy is a LEED-accredited designer.
The firm currently has residential projects under way in a number of Coachella Valley cities as well as in Las Vegas and Chicago.
Lighting – LIT, Inc.is one of the leading lighting design firms in the California desert. Susan Oster founded the company 20 years ago after working for more than a decade with some of the leading lighting designers in the country.
LIT has been recognized in national and regional publications such as Record Lighting, Interior Design, Architectural Lighting and Architectural Digest. Several of LIT’s projects have won International Illumination Design Awards by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.
Audio/Visual – Simple2 has rapidly built a reputation in Palm Springs as a leading advocate for simplicity and quality in computer system and home theater design and installation.
