Casa Luce | 2024

Casa Luce reframes contemporary architecture in the Southwest via preservation as an active, creative practice; one that saves embodied energy, honors cultural lineage, and redefines architectural essence through transformation rather than replacement. It reveals a resonant and resilient modernity that emphasizes continuity over novelty.

Casa Luce is an extensive renovation of a mid-century modern home in the Catalina foothills. Originally designed and built by Tucson icon Tom Gist, and characterized by Gist’s trademark earthen walls of burnt adobe supporting a low-slung roof, the 1960’s home was nevertheless in need of a significant update. The goal of the redesign was to redefine the essence of the home — l’essenza.

In spite of a floor-to-ceiling picture window that frames the distant Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the original home had an introverted focus that ignored the view and was instead centered around a closed-off and dimly lit kitchen. The confined character of the interior was further dominated by a low mechanical bulkhead just above head height, as well as a sunken indoor terrarium bound by four large masonry piers. The ceiling was a grid of painted wood beams infilled with textured white plaster.

The redesign combined both the bold and subtle editing of existing features, with the thoughtful insertion of 21st century amenities.

The design solution was to illuminate the heart of the home with daylight, clear away the obstructions of its introverted middle, strip away dated finishes, redefine the ceiling as a unifying feature, insert finely crafted amenities, and reorient the focus of the living spaces of the home outwards, towards views of the desert and the distant horizon.

The result is as uncompromisingly modern and boundless as it is respectful of the original design.

The essence of Casa Luce was redefined in both bold and subtle ways. The boldest design move was the removal of the four masonry piers that supported the roof in the center of the home. The bold result — a floating ceiling that reorients perception within the main living spaces — was realized with innovative engineering, skilled carpentry, and good old-fashioned muscle.

Subtle design touches are everywhere, highlighted with the addition of natural light. Artisanal lime plaster walls are paired with sustainable wood veneer cabinets to integrate function and effect, creating a calm, minimal backdrop that mediates the home’s structural palette of concrete, earth, and timber, just as life in the Sonoran desert mediates the ground and sky.

The sometimes subtle and sometimes bold addition of daylight also redefines the bedroom wing of the home. Originally connected by a low dark corridor, the procession to each of the three bedrooms is now guided by light, whether the diffuse glow of the frosted glass screen that forms a threshold to the kitchen, or the bold shadows of the partially exposed roof structure that track the sun.

The exterior spaces of the home are also boldly redefined, expanding perceptions outwards to emphasize the connection of the interior with the larger world. The panoramic view in front of the south-facing picture window is amplified by the addition of a broad swimming pool whose infinity edge underlines the distant mountains. The pool itself is paired with a set of long concrete steps that appear to fold out of the interior of the home to create amphitheater seating in support of outdoor living, and to take in the surrounding vistas and environment.

Casa Luce exemplifies a low-embodied carbon design strategy by prioritizing the reuse of existing structural elements paired with the sourcing and selection of low-impact materials. The result is a tactile material and sensory engagement that spans generations.

The artful insertion of three glulam beams and four steel columns was transformative.

Original adobe walls and concrete slab retained, reducing carbon emissions; adobe’s low-carbon, high-mass qualities boost thermal and environmental performance. Douglas fir roof structure preserved, reducing timber harvesting and minimizing waste while sequestering carbon.

The project consists of 2,100 sf of 8-inch adobe walls (18 tCO₂e), 4,500 sf of Douglas Fir beam and joist roof structure (21 tCO₂e), and 3,600 sf of 4-inch concrete slab-on-grade (12 tCO₂e), resulting in a total embodied carbon impact of 51 tCO₂e.

New Douglas fir ceiling and Lime Plaster Wall finish sequester carbon. FSC wood veneer for cabinets is sustainably sourced with traceable origins. Local cabinet & furniture fabrication supports the regional economy and reduces transport emissions. Selected tile products reduce emissions through certified sustainable production.

Category:Restorations/RenovationsYear:2024Location:Arizona, USAArchitects:HK Associates Inc.Lead Architect: Kathy Hancox and Michael Kothke Architects of Record: Tom Gist (mid 1960s)General Contractor:Lemar Design & Construction Corp.Client: PrivatePhotographer: Ema Peter