Finch Farm“Simple, not lavish; open, not too complex” was the guiding principle for a residential feasibility study in Albuquerque’s North Valley. With heavy foot traffic along the irrigation ditches to the north and east of the site, privacy with a sense of openness on the site provided a challenge for the building form. With the clients’ desires to incorporate passive energy strategies for cooling, a barn for storage and agricultural experimentation, views out to the field, an outdoor gathering space, and preserved irrigation rights, the study sought to balance architectural impact on the delicate site. Two design schemes were developed for Finch Farm, one proposed an efficient L-Shaped floor plan framing a shaded outdoor space. The house form resembles and is constructed similar to a barn through a simple wood structure. Trellis framing partially encloses the patio, and a privacy fence of the same design to seclude the property view from the west. The second design scheme maximized the buildable area with the structures hugging the south end of the property to allow for pure views to the field. This linear floor plan with two outdoor living spaces provided passive cooling through cross-ventilation and projecting eaves. |